WASHINGTON, DC – Democratic attorneys general continue to serve as the most powerful legal counterweight to the Trump administration’s executive overreach and abuse of power. In a new Bloomberg article Erik Larson details how Democratic AGs’ fight against Trump is playing out in court and the impactful work AGs have done by suing, from protecting birthright citizenship to pushing back on unlawful tariffs.

“Birthright citizenship still remains in effect in this country because of our work,” New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said. “Billions, if not trillions, of dollars of spending are continuing to flow. If you’re a parent of a kid with in public school, you’re still getting federal funding because of us.”

Key Highlights:

• “In most states, attorneys general are elected officials and currently about half are Democrats. They’ve filed more than 60 lawsuits over an array of Trump administration policies, including his deep cuts to federal funding and restrictions on automatic birthright citizenship. The pace of litigation has put the group on track to blow past the more than 150 suits they filed during Trump’s first term.”
• “Many of the cases that have reached a preliminary result so far have led to temporary orders against the administration.”

• “The clash over Trump’s tariffs, a pillar of his economic agenda, stands out as arguably the highest-profile court fight for the Democratic attorneys general. A dozen of them who sued won their case at the US Court of International Trade, which ruled Trump unlawfully invoked an emergency law to issue the levies and usurped the power of Congress.”
• “Democratic attorneys general say they began preparing for a second Trump term months before the 2024 election. They’ve held daily video calls to strategize, discuss Trump’s latest actions and divvy up work.”
• “‘This is a team,’ said Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser. ‘We’re working with one another. We’re supporting one another. We’re taking different areas and we’re shouldering different loads.’”
• “…New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin said he and his counterparts are the only elected Democratic officials who are meaningfully blocking any of Trump’s agenda.”

• “The Portland ruling on the National Guard stands out because it was a decision on the merits that found Trump violated the Constitution by attempting to send troops from Oregon and California to the city, over the governor’s objections.”
• “Bonta said he was celebrating his mother’s 80th birthday when he learned Trump was about to send hundreds of his state’s troops to Portland. […] he got his team in sync with Rayfield, who quickly agreed to amend his suit to add California as a plaintiff. He said they then swayed the judge to hold an emergency late-night hearing and ultimately got what they wanted — another order temporarily blocking Trump’s plan.”

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