Attorney General Kathy Jennings and a coalition of 18 attorneys general yesterday celebrated the dismissal of the Trump Administration’s appeal of their victory in a lawsuit challenging the federal government’s order to freeze all federal permitting for wind energy projects.

“This result is a victory on multiple fronts: it’s a win for the fight against climate change, it’s a win for lower energy bills for Delawareans, and it’s a win for the rule of law,” said Attorney General Kathy Jennings. “With the Trump Administration’s clumsy attempt at interference finally done and dusted, I look forward to seeing more clean energy added to our grid.”

On January 20, President Trump issued a Presidential Memorandum that, among other things, indefinitely froze all federal approvals needed for the development of wind energy projects pending federal review. Pursuant to this directive, federal agencies stopped all permitting and approval activities. In May, the coalition filed a lawsuit challenging those actions and in December, a federal judge in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts vacated those actions, ruling that they were arbitrary and capricious and contrary to law. The federal government appealed that ruling but subsequently decided to drop that appeal. On June 15, the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit entered a judgement dismissing the appeal, cementing the states’ victory.

In their lawsuit, the attorneys general alleged that the federal agencies’ actions harmed their states’ efforts to secure reliable, diversified, and affordable sources of energy to meet their increasing demand for electricity and help reduce emissions of harmful air pollutants, meet clean energy goals, and address climate change. The agencies’ actions also threatened to thwart billions of dollars of states’ investments in wind industry infrastructure, supply chains, and workforce development.

The coalition argued, and the court agreed, that federal agencies’ actions violated the Administrative Procedure Act because, among other things, the agencies provided no reasoned explanation for categorically and indefinitely halting all wind energy approvals.
Joining AG Jennings in filing this lawsuit, which was led by Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell and New York Attorney General Letitia James, were the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Washington.

Attorney General Kathy Jennings announced today that a Koch family-affiliated campaign group’s attempt to nullify state law requiring basic transparency for third-party campaign advertisers has been defeated in court.

“This victory affirms that it is the people of Delaware – not the Koch family or any other billionaires – who get to determine our state’s election laws,” said Attorney General Kathy Jennings. “For years, the Kochs have funneled billions of dollars of dark money into our country’s elections to promote policies to enrich themselves at the expense of the general public. Their brazen attempt to expand that playbook into Delaware has met the fate that it deserves.”

Last month, a Koch family-affiliated campaign group sued Attorney General Kathy Jennings and Elections Commissioner Anthony Albence in an attempt to nullify state law requiring basic transparency for third-party campaign advertisers, sometimes referred to as Super PACs, independent expenditures, or simply “IEs.” In an oral ruling issued from the bench Monday, the Court rejected the Koch network’s arguments and sided with the State.

The 19-page complaint, filed in federal court and citing the infamous Citizens United ruling for support, sought to end enforcement of even the most rudimentary disclosure requirements for third-party advertisers, which State law defines as people or groups spending $500 or more to assist in the election of any candidate or in connection with any election campaign. The Koch lawsuit attempted to target one of the few shreds of regulation that Citizens United left intact: a requirement to disclose the identities of individuals or groups that contribute more than $100 to support IE spending in Delaware elections. Had they succeeded, State law would have essentially no transparency requirements governing the Koch network, billionaires like Elon Musk, or other moneyed interests’ efforts to dump dark money into Delaware elections.

IE groups are not formally affiliated with political candidates or parties and are not subject to contribution limits that govern candidates for office ($600 or $1,200 in Delaware), political action committees or PACs ($5,000), or political parties ($20,000). As a result, they are a weapon of choice for the ultra-wealthy, corporate lobbies, or other special interests to spend not just $500, but legally unlimited sums of money to influence elections.

IEs were an outgrowth of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United ruling, which held that campaign spending is protected under the First Amendment and consequently decimated state and federal campaign finance laws. They have played a defining role in skyrocketing campaign spending since 2010; dark money groups spent a record $1.9 billion in the 2024 election cycle.

Charles and David Koch, scions of an oil tycoon, quickly illustrated the dangers of the 2010 ruling, directing billions into a sprawling right-wing network of think tanks, corporate-backed “grassroots” entities (sometimes referred to as “astroturf” groups), and advocacy groups including Delaware’s Caesar Rodney Institute. Americans for Prosperity, the AFP Foundation, and the Super PAC AFP Action are the primary advocacy groups in the Koch network.

In the absence of a constitutional amendment or an overriding Supreme Court ruling, Citizens United shields these groups from virtually any guardrails on where they accept money, how much they spend, or what they say. Groups like Americans for Prosperity regularly fund last-minute spending blitzes, blanketing campaign-season commercial blocks with attack ads and other measures to influence elections on behalf of corporate interests.

A New Castle man has been sentenced to prison for stalking, illegally possessing a firearm, and violating his probation.

Donald Beckwith, 42, was sentenced to 20 years in prison by a Superior Court judge on June 3, 2026. The sentencing followed his conviction earlier that day on charges of Stalking and a conviction from earlier this year of Possession of a Firearm by a Person Prohibited. Beckwith was additionally found guilty of Violation of Probation, a charge stemming from his prior conviction in 2018 of Sexual Solicitation of a Child.

“The probation officer’s vigilance in this case almost certainly prevented a horrific and tragic act from occurring,” said Attorney General Kathy Jennings. “Their work, along with that of the New Castle County Police Department and our DOJ trial team, has helped keep a deeply dangerous individual off the streets – for that, they have my sincere gratitude.”

In April of 2025, Beckwith’s probation officer observed him using an internet-capable electronic device, a violation of his probation from his 2018 conviction. The officer subsequently conducted an administrative search of his apartment which yielded a series of letters that Beckwith had written. The letters, written while Beckwith was in prison years before, contained graphic descriptions of his intent to commit sexual violence towards minors, to engage of acts of violence against the State and Courts, and to stalk, kidnap, and murder an individual related to his prior criminal case. The investigation that followed, aided by the NCCPD, revealed that Beckwith had been in the immediate vicinity of that individual’s residence roughly 50 times in the course of a year; he was subsequently arrested in June of 2025.

“The reckless and cowardly actions of the defendant can never be undone – but this result is a critical step towards justice for those that he victimized and their families,” said Attorney General Kathy Jennings. “As we move towards sentencing, I will ensure that my office continues to be uncompromising in its pursuit of justice in this case. I’m grateful to our DOJ trial team and our law enforcement partners in Newark for their diligent work in securing these convictions.”

“This was a senseless tragedy that deeply impacted our entire community,” said Newark Police Department Chief Mark Farrall. “This conviction is an important step toward justice for the victims and their families, who have endured unimaginable loss and pain. I could not be prouder of the Newark Police Department employees who responded to this tragic incident, managed an extraordinarily difficult scene, and carried this case forward with professionalism, compassion, and resolve.”

“The alleged actions of this officer are beyond unacceptable” said Attorney General Kathy Jennings. “Rest assured that any misdeeds will be held accountable to the full extent of the law. I continue to be grateful to our prosecutors and our partners in the Seaford Police Department for their dedication to this case, and to the Delmar Police Department for their swift action and cooperation with the investigation.”