ON THE TRAIL

ENDORSEMENT ALERT
North Carolina AG Josh Stein earned an important endorsement this week from Planned Parenthood South Atlantic North Carolina. AG Stein promised to continue fighting for women and access to basic health care when re-elected this November.

MULTI-STATE MOMENTS!

RECORD-BREAKERS 

Over the past three years, Democratic AGs have filed a record-breaking number of multistate lawsuits against the Trump Administration and they are winning in court. The Hill published an article this week detailing the growing influence of state Attorneys General in our policy and political landscape. The piece also reinforced that the law is on the Dem AGs side—Democratic AGs have won 80 percent of the cases that have come to a conclusion so far. “Every time this guy breaks the law, we take him to court,” said California AG Xavier Becerra, who has led 31 suits and joined 25 other multistate lawsuits.

TWO STEPS FORWARD FOR EQUALITY
This week, a bipartisan coalition of 20 state AGs penned a joint letter to Congress calling for the removal of any ratification deadline for the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). “Congress is in a unique position to resolve any controversy quickly and definitively,” the letter says. “If Congress has the power to establish a ratification deadline, it follows that Congress also has the authority to eliminate any such deadline.” In January, Virginia became the 38th state to ratify the ERA. On Thursday, the House passed the ERA Now Act, which would remove the ratification deadline and make the ERA eligible for ratification. Reminder: Virginia AG Mark Herring led his Democratic AG colleagues from Illinois and Nevada in a lawsuit to advance the ERA earlier this month.

NIFTY, FIFTY (ONE) UNITED STATES
On Tuesday, a Congressional committee passed a bill to make Washington D.C. the nation’s 51st state, sending the bill to the full House for approval. Today’s historical congressional markup of #HR51 is about giving DC residents full and equal representation in our government,” said District of Columbia AG Karl Racine in a tweet on Tuesday. Last April, 20 Democratic AGs declared support for DC Statehood. “The District of Columbia deserves a voice in this country’s legislature and should be able to govern itself like any other state,” said the Dem coalition.

AG SPOTLIGHT!

• Illinois AG Kwame Raoul led a bipartisan coalition of 23 AGs in filing an amicus brief supporting the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) position in FTC v. Credit Bureau Center LLC. The brief supports the FTC’s ability to seek refunds for consumers when enforcing consumer protections. “Obtaining restitution is critical in enforcing consumer protections because it allows victims of fraud to receive some relief while also providing a deterrent to those engaging in unfair or deceptive practices,” AG Raoul said. Read more about the brief here.

• New York AG Tish James made headlines this week as she fought back against the Trump administration’s political retaliatory efforts on New Yorkers. On Monday, AG James sued the Trump administration over a policy barring New York residents from enrolling or re-enrolling in Global Entry and other Trusted Traveler programs, which help reduce wait lines at customs. The Department of Homeland Security announced the enrollment ban on New Yorkers in response to a state law that allows undocumented immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses, and prohibits the Department of Motor Vehicles from sharing driver information with federal immigration authorities. “New Yorkers will not be held hostage by an Administration intent on restraining the sovereign rights of states, while it simultaneously enacts discriminatory policies across the country,” AG James said.

TWEET OF THE WEEK

When the GOP pushed some misleading information this week about multi-state lawsuits, Michigan AG Dana Nessel quickly tweeted out a correction, reminding everyone that the law is on the side of the Democratic AGs.

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

DAGA Chair Emeritus District of Columbia AG Karl Racine spoke this week at the Woman’s National Democratic Club, the oldest organization for Democratic women in Washington, D.C about the importance of Democratic AGs.