HAPPY PRESIDENTS’ DAY, “SEE YOU IN COURT”

Late Monday afternoon, 16 Democratic AGs filed a lawsuit (linked here) challenging President Trump’s decision to declare a national emergency to spend billions of dollars on his border wall. The lawsuit asks the federal court for a preliminary injunction to prevent Trump from acting on his emergency declaration while the case plays out in the courts.

Leading the coalition, California AG Xavier Becerra said in a statement, “This ’emergency’ is a national disgrace. Rather than focusing on fighting the real vulnerabilities facing Americans, the President is using the powers of America’s highest office to fan the flames of nativism and xenophobia. Our message to the White House is clear…We will see you in court.”

The Democratic AGs joining California in the lawsuit are Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawai’i, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, and Virginia. As a reminder, Colorado AG Phil Weiser, Michigan AG Dana Nessel, and Nevada AG Aaron Ford are newly-elected Democratic AGs in states that flipped from red to blue in the 2018 Midterms.

Catch New Mexico AG Hector Balderas, DAGA Executive Committee member, on CNN’s Out Front with Erin Burnett  (linked here) for more:

Last week, DAGA co-chairs District of Columbia AG Karl Racine and Oregon AG Ellen Rosenblum issued a strong statement in response to Trump’s plan to declare a national “emergency,” stating that “As Democratic Attorneys General have repeatedly demonstrated, we will not hesitate to use our legal authority to defend the rule of law”—and on Monday night, a coalition of 16 Democratic AGs stepped up yet again to serve as a check on Trump.