Jonathan Thomas Skrmetti (born 1977) is an American attorney and public official. He currently serves as the 28th Attorney General and Reporter for the state of Tennessee.
Jonathan Skrmetti was Chief Deputy Attorney General under Herbert Slatery from December 2018[6] through December 2021.[2][7]
Arguing against Instagram Kids
AG Slatery's office had attempted to specifically investigate Instagram back in 2021[8] and TikTok in 2022.[9] Skrmetti, as Chief Deputy Attorney General, argued against the then-planned Instagram for kids only, stating that the platform would be a means of having children become accustomed to social media when they are "psychologically vulnerable."[10]
Attorney General of Tennessee
Skrmetti was appointed by the Tennessee Supreme Court to serve an eight-year term on August 10, 2022, and was sworn in on September 1, 2022.[11] Tennessee is the only state in the country where the State Supreme Court appoints the attorney general as a non-partisan member of the Judicial Branch.[12]
In his role as AG and Reporter of Tennessee, Skrmetti has instituted a strategic litigation unit with ten attorneys to focus on pending litigation involving the federal government, various Tennessee municipalities, and to focus on corporate activity within the state.[13]
Environmental issues
State of Tennessee v. 3M et al.
On May 31, 2023, Skrmetti filed suit against twenty-one named manufacturers of products using PFAs and ten unnamed. The suit focuses on the manufacture and sale of AFFF (aqueous film-forming foam) throughout the state rather than on the various consumer products which contain PFAs.[14] Skrmetti contends that the manufacturers not only knew about the risk PFAs pose to both organisms and the environment, but that they also concealed the level of harm the chemicals could cause in order to raise their profits.[15] The suit further claims that some of the named companies attempted to protect themselves from liability through fraud.[16][17]
Opposing changes to Title IX
Shortly after being sworn into office, AG Skrmetti issued a letter to the US Department of Education in opposition to adding "gender identity" to the wording of Title IX.[18]
In January 2023, he filed a brief[19] in support of a 2022 injunction against a sports competition under West Virginia's 2021 "Save Women's Sports Act"[20] preventing transgender students from participating in athletics on teams of "the opposite biological sex".[21] The focus of the WV law is on transfemale athletes, claiming that their assigned gender at birth provides them an unfair advantage thus undoing the very protections established by Title IX.[22]
In March 2023, the LGBTQIA theatre companyFriends of George's filed lawsuits against the State of Tennessee, AG Skrmetti, and Shelby County DA Steve Mulroy.[23][24] The suits argued that the vague language of a new state law restricting public drag performances (defining drag performers as cabaret and likening drag shows to strip clubs[25]) made it impossible to know what activity exactly it intended to curtail, especially in how the state law might be infringing on First Amendmentprotected speech.[26][27][28][29] When Judge Thomas Parker ruled on June 2, 2023, that the law did violate Constitutionally protected speech,[30][31] he pointed out that it was "substantially overbroad" despite the State's argument that the law would only apply to "expressive content that is harmful to a reasonable 17-year-old".[27][28][32]
Skrmetti had been a named defendant in the suit,[28] and joined filings before Judge Parker reached his decision: a motion to dismiss the case due to failure to state a claim and a motion to dismiss due to lack of jurisdiction.[33] Both of these motions were granted as Skrmetti was determined to be acting in his role as AG. Skremtti has filed a Notice of Appeal of Judge Parker's decision, pointing out that the same language Parker found to be vague is present throughout the Tennessee Code.[34][35]
Hannah Miyamoto v. Bill Lee, et. al.
Retired attorney Hannah Miyamoto (registered with the Hawaii bar) filed suit against Bill Lee, AG Skrmetti, and Davidson County DA Glenn R. Funk (all named) on March 8, 2023, in the Southern District of California, where she currently resides. The suit has been assigned Tennessee case number 3:23cv-00233.[36] She alleges that the TAEA, which AG Skrmetti has held is still in effect throughout Tennessee except in Shelby County,[37] prevents her from being able to perform her play, Twelve Nights with Viola and Olivia, in Nashville at TPAC. The play is based on Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, or What You Will, in which one of the main characters, Viola, spends the majority of the play impersonating a man. The case is currently pending.[38][39][40]
Governor Lee has stated that he is deferring to Skrmetti with respect to whether the TAEA is enforceable outside of Shelby County.[41]
After ticket sales for Taylor Swift's Eras Tour rose to as much as $28,000 per ticket on Ticketmaster,[42] Skrmetti opened an investigation into possible violations of antitrust laws, saying that the issue consumers experienced in obtaining tickets might be an indication of not enough competition,[43][44] though Ticketmaster and LiveNation's merger has been approved through 2025 by the US Department of Justice.[45] The incident did result in the DOJ once again probing the companies for breach of antitrust laws.[46] A statement from one of Ticketmaster's shareholders stated that the fiasco was caused by bots,[47] which may have put the company in violation of a 2008 bot-ban law passed in Tennessee.[48]
One area of concern Skrmetti said would be investigated was whether Ticketmaster/LiveNation profited off of the sales of the tickets twice,[49] as well as what consumers were promised regarding ticket availability.[50] Skrmetti clarified that the concern isn't that everyone who wants a ticket be able to purchase one, but that Ticketmaster made specific claims regarding the service they offer and the quality of that service, and because there is little to no competition, Ticketmaster has no incentive to provide what was promised.[51]
Though there hasn't been an official update from the AG's office since December 14, 2022,[52] Skrmetti did tell Time magazine in January 2023 that the investigation is still ongoing and that the evidence found so far "is not entirely consistent" with Ticketmaster's statement that their large market share is due to the difference in quality between their system and "the next best primary ticketing system."[53] When opening the investigation, Skrmetti stated, "If it's a consumer protection violation and we can find exactly where the problems are, we can get a court order that makes the company do better."[54]
State of Tennessee et al v. AdoreMe.com
Thirty-one states and the District of Columbia filed suit against AdoreMe.com in response to consumer complaints, alleging unfair trade practices against the retailer. Specifically at issue was the VIP program, in which customers were automatically charged a monthly fee of $39.95 unless they either made a purchase or logged into their account.[55] The state AGs argued that the program was deceptive as it did not properly disclose the terms, and customers were charged the monthly rate without understanding they would be required to take action before the sixth of every month to avoid the fee. Additionally, those who attempted to cancel their memberships found it extremely difficult and were forced to forfeit accrued store credit in order to do so. The retailer also misled consumers regarding discounts with a "countdown" that didn't actually affect purchase eligibility.[56][57]
The suit settled in June 2023, with the blanket amount of $2.35 million to be paid amongst the thirty-one states and D.C.[58][59][60] and refunds to be offered to the affected customers. AdoreMe.com was required to contact all eligible customers as part of the settlement agreement. As with many suits of this type, the retailer admits no wrongdoing as part of the settlement.[57][61]
Recognition from private organizations
In May 2023, Skrmetti accepted an award from the Tennessee Faith & Freedom Coalition, who proclaimed him a "Defender of Freedom" for his work as AG.[62][63] The group is a self-proclaimed conservative, Christian, anti-Marxist organization.[64]
In May 2023, he was elected to the board of the Jason Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that attempts to provide support and educational tools for youth at risk of suicide.[65] He had previously been an ambassador of the foundation.[66]
▌2 Unknown (2 territories) An asterisk (*) indicates that the officeholder is serving in an acting capacity. State abbreviations link to position articles.
