(COLUMBUS, Ohio) - Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray announced today that his office would join arguments to be made in the United States Supreme Court that Second Amendment rights under the United States Constitution should be protected from undue restrictions imposed by state and local governments. The Supreme Court granted full review today and will examine this issue in the case of McDonald v. Chicago, based upon the Court's landmark ruling last year in District of Columbia v. Heller. That ruling recognized that, with respect to the federal government, the Second Amendment affords individuals the right to keep and bear arms.

(COLUMBUS, Ohio) — Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray released the following statement in response to an announcement late today by Bank of America Chief Executive Officer Ken Lewis that he will retire at the end of the year.

"Regardless of Ken Lewis' departure, the company and its executives still need to be held accountable for the harm done to investors and retirees."

For more information on the securities class action lawsuit against Bank of America, visit www.OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov/SecuritiesLitigationBriefing.

(COLUMBUS, Ohio) – Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray announced today that the Lead Plaintiff group in a securities class action lawsuit against Bank of America has filed a consolidated amended complaint.  The complaint alleges that statements made in 2008 by Defendants regarding the Bank of America merger with Merrill Lynch failed to disclose billions of dollars in known losses at Merrill Lynch and Bank of America and billions more in accelerated agreed-upon bonuses to be paid to Merrill Lynch executives and employees.

“They were concealing billions of dollars in losses with one hand and clearing the way for extravagant bonus payments with the other,” said Attorney General Cordray.  “This case gives the public pension funds and other shareholders a chance to stand up against Wall Street.”

(CLEVELAND) — Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray said today that he will deploy a team of state investigators and forensic accountants to examine irregularities in the appraisals that are used to value real estate for property tax purposes in Cuyahoga County over the past decade.

Cordray, who served as both Franklin County Treasurer and Ohio Treasurer before being elected Ohio Attorney General last fall, said that any manipulation of property values would have affected all citizens and taxpayers and may have shortchanged key local services such as police, fire, social services, and schools.

(COLUMBUS, Ohio) – On Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2009, the Ohio Attorney General's Office received a revised submission of an initiated statute to prohibit dog auctions.

The initial submission was received by the Attorney General's Office on July 29, 2009. It was rejected on Aug. 7, 2009, when Attorney General Richard Cordray concluded that the summary language submitted was not a fair and truthful statement of the proposed initiated statute.

(COLUMBUS, Ohio) — Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray today released a letter signed by 54 Attorneys General urging more federal support for state crime victim service agencies. Ohio's Crime Victim Compensation Fund has dwindled over the past several years and was facing insolvency when Cordray took office in January of this year.

The letter, initiated by Cordray, was sent to leaders of the Senate and House Judiciary Committees and is in support of Senate Bill 1340 (HR 3402). The Crime Victims Fund Preservation Act of 2009 would increase the maximum amount of annual Victims of Crimes Act (VOCA) grants to states over the next five years.

(COLUMBUS, Ohio) — Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray today offered written proponent testimony to the House Financial Institutions, Real Estate and Securities Committee concerning House Bill 209, which would close existing loopholes in Ohio law concerning payday lending. The pending legislation would amend current law to cap loans under $1,000 at a 28% annual percentage rate.

The full text of the letter is available after the jump.

(COLUMBUS, Ohio) – Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder today announced that Ohio has become the first state in the nation to reach substantial implementation of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA), Title I of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006.

"This marks an important achievement for Ohio's families and children," said Cordray. "Effective tracking and monitoring of sex offenders equips parents with the information they need to keep their children safe. Taking deliberate steps to provide a common foundation for all the registration systems throughout the United States allows our families to make the most effective use of the information those systems provide."

(COLUMBUS, Ohio) – The Ohio Attorney General's Office has received two submissions this week for statewide ballot issues.

On Sept. 21, 2009, the office received a referendum petition regarding video lottery terminals. By statute, the Attorney General has 10 business days to determine whether to certify the summary language as fair and truthful. The deadline for the Attorney General's decision is Oct. 5, 2009.

(COLUMBUS, Ohio) — Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray today warned Ohioans about a phone scam targeting Ohio veterans in an attempt to obtain veterans' credit card account information.

According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), veterans throughout the nation have been receiving calls in which callers claim that they represent Patient Care Group. The caller claims that the VA has recently changed procedures for dispensing prescriptions and asks for the veteran's credit card number. The VA stresses that procedures have not changed and credit card numbers should not be given out over the phone for prescriptions.