Jana Farmer (Partner-White Plains, NY) and Yusef Abutouq (Associate-New York, NY) coauthored the article “Executive Order on AI Policy Sets Up Likely Litigations Over State AI Laws,” appearing in the January 21, 2026, posting of Westlaw Today. The article examines the December 2025 executive order on artificial intelligence policy that seeks to deter burdensome state AI regulation and advance a national policy framework through coordinated federal litigation and agency action. The order organizes the executive branch and signals litigation priorities, but it does not directly preempt any state law. “An executive order, standing alone, neither creates new statutory obligations nor displaces contrary state statutes.” Thus, while the order’s immediate effect is limited and state AI statutes remain enforceable by state officials unless enjoined by a court, Jana and Yusef posit, “Inevitably, state AI laws that conflict with the administration's AI policy will be subject to litigation. States are also likely to challenge the executive order and the resulting agency actions.” Consequently, absent congressional legislation, the authors note that “differing interpretations from various courts could create an additional layer of complexity to the existing patchwork of state AI regulation.”