WASHINGTON, DC – With now over two dozen lawsuits filed against the administration, Democratic AGs are working around the clock to hold Donald Trump and his administration accountable for their continued violations of law and the US Constitution. From suing to block Trump’s disastrous tariffs to defending birthright citizenship in front of the Supreme Court, Democratic AGs share why it has been so important to keep the Trump administration in check.  

Key highlights from the Chicago Sun Times: 

• “Now, he’s a key figure in Democrats’ legal battle against Trump’s executive orders and policies.”
• “Raoul and 22 other Democratic attorneys general are acting as a firewall.”
• “This month alone, he led a coalition of 18 AGs in filing an amicus brief supporting a legal challenge to two of Trump’s executive orders…another suit accusing the Trump administration of attempting to “illegally” coerce states into sweeping immigration enforcement by threatening to withhold billions in federal funding for emergency services and infrastructure.”
• “And he believes the legal fights are going in Democrats’ favor. ‘We are winning. Not every aspect and not every lawsuit, but overwhelmingly we are successful,’ Raoul said. ‘And what winning looks like is having the spigot of funding reopened where there have been efforts to freeze funding or condition funding.’”
• “‘The lawsuits are filed because they are unlawful actions, because the way he tries to pursue these things are either unconstitutional or violative of a law in some other way, not filed because I disagree with the policy,’ Raoul said.”
• “Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison called Raoul ‘innovative, creative and a leader among Attorneys General.’ He also lauded him for ‘his reserved calm in difficult moments.’”
• “And Sean Rankin, president of the Democratic Attorneys General Association, called Raoul a ‘forceful, strategic and impressive leader.’ He also credited him for stepping up to lead Black men in a rally last year to support Vice President Kamala Harris.”
• “‘He grew into a national voice in that moment,’ Rankin said in a statement. ‘And as he became a DAGA Co-Chair this year and when Trump took office, I’ve seen his leadership and voice grow deeper as he works tirelessly to defend the rule of law, protecting the rights of Illinoisans directly and all Americans.’”
• “‘These threats to these law firms are something that I think all Americans should be concerned about in a very, very serious way, because it undermines advocacy […] I think it’s better if we could all stand solid as a legal community knowing that that is absolutely wrong, and if we all stand solid, he will be beaten back.’”

Key highlights from POLITICO:  

• “Rayfield, 46, is among the newest in a band of Democratic state attorneys general that’s been strikingly coordinated in challenging and stalling Trump’s avalanche of executive orders slashing federal spending, restricting birthright citizenship, gutting diversity and inclusion programs and much more since Jan. 20.”
• “The sweeping nature and impact of those tariffs to every aspect of our daily lives — whether you’re a small business operating in the state of Oregon, whether you are an individual just going to the grocery store — the impact to all of us was immense. And so for me, it was a real easy decision.”
• “So attorneys general right now are really enforcing the rule of law and making sure that when the president takes actions, that he’s following the Constitution, following the law, and that is our defined role. It’s a very reactive role.”
• “I have found the cooperation and coordination among all the Democratic attorneys general incredibly helpful, where we are really partnering together to find the right moments, working together to find the right impacts in each of our communities to be able to challenge these unconstitutional actions.”
• “At the same time, we’re doing these hearings across the country — each Democratic attorney general is learning about the impacts that people are seeing on the front lines.”
• “And right now, I think it’s a unique moment in our nation where people are scared to speak up about impacts, and that is not a democracy. That, fundamentally, is a problem.”
  

Key highlights from Spectrum News:  

• “‘This has been a president who has been a repeat offender when it comes to breaking the law — 22 times in a short 16 weeks and counting. We don’t expect it to stop or slow down, nor will we. We will meet him in court every time,’ said Bonta.”
• “‘I think the law is clear, certainly when it comes to birthright citizenship. That is a well established, foundational constitutional right that belongs to everyone — nationwide, throughout this country.”
• “‘The Trump administration has made it clear both in Trump 1.0, Trump 2.0, that he’s targeting blue states. He’s targeting Democrats, he’s targeting states that didn’t vote for him, he’s targeting California — that’s been his M.O. and his approach from day one,’ he [Bonta] reasoned.”
• “‘We are going to be unapologetic and immovable on our commitment to make sure he follows the law.’”
• “‘If all we have is political grievance or policy or ideological difference, we can’t go to court, we won’t go to court,’ Bonta said. ‘But if he breaks the law, if he violates the Constitution, we will see him in court, and we will stop him.’”

Key highlights from The Denver Post:  

• “Colorado’s top elected lawyer, two-term Democratic Attorney General Phil Weiser, is no stranger to litigation against Trump: Weiser’s office sued the president and his administration at least 11 times during both men’s first terms.”
• “Just four months into Trump’s second term, Weiser has already surpassed that total, and he argues that the ‘level of lawlessness” is unprecedented.”
• “The risk to the state is real: Hundreds of millions of dollars in various types of funding bound for Colorado — for vehicle charging stations, public health grants, academic research and public-safety programs — have been frozen or threatened in recent months.”
• “As congressional Democrats have struggled to combat Trump this year, attorneys general have represented a tangible — and effective — counter to the president for restless Democratic voters.”
• “Weiser’s office is taking the lead role on three of the 20 cases. Those are related to electric vehicle infrastructure funding, the termination of public health grants and the dismantling of AmeriCorps.”
• “‘And that’s why state rights are going to be so important,’ [Siddhartha] Rathod said. ‘That’s why having strong attorneys general, strong governors is a matter of such importance.’”

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