Washington, DC – As the outcry for action against the Trump administration continues to grow, Democratic attorneys general have proven to be the most effective avenue in holding Trump’s unlawful actions accountable. By working together on multiple lawsuits, Democratic AGs have found success in the third branch of government: the courts. 

The Wall Street Journal’s Eliza Collins and John McCormick spoke with multiple Democratic AGs on how they are actively strategizing each lawsuit to protect their constituents as well as defend the Constitution and rule of law. They write, “[Arizona AG] Mayes is one of 23 Democratic attorneys general who are strategizing on a nearly daily basis about how to use the courts to thwart Trump […] they have brought 11 lawsuits against Trump and his administration and have won temporary restraining orders or preliminary injunctions in eight cases…”

Key highlights: 

• “[AG Kris] Mayes is one of 23 Democratic attorneys general who are strategizing on a nearly daily basis about how to use the courts to thwart Trump.”

• “…they [injunctions] constitute a rare batch of victories for a Democratic Party reeling from electoral defeats in November…”

• “In an interview, Arizona’s Mayes said the Democratic attorneys generals are ‘punching back’ and ‘doing a lot of winning.’”

• “They decided they needed to start prepping for a second Trump presidency by…tracking his campaign promises and reviewing Project 2025, a conservative blueprint for remaking the government. They identified roughly 50 areas of potential legal action, said Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha, who was part of the discussions.”

• “When Trump took office, they began holding regular video calls, as often as every day at first, to discuss the administration’s actions—which ones they believed were unconstitutional, which states were best positioned to take the lead on a challenge and which other states would take part.”

• “‘There was a lot of stuff that we thought would not be consistent with American law and the Constitution,’ said Minnesota’s Ellison. ‘We got into teams, and people self-selected into the areas they wanted to work on.’”

• “The attorneys general also strategize about legal expertise in each state office and court venues most suitable to consider various issues.”

• “‘I believe strongly that we are in the midst of a coup, and I don’t use that term lightly,’ said Mayes. ‘But when you have a president who is actively violating federal court orders, that is a coup.’”

• “This time, some attorneys general have organized a roadshow to take their cases directly to voters. On March 20, five attorneys general—Mayes, Ellison, Kwame Raoul of Illinois, Letitia James of New York and New Jersey’s Matthew Platkin—spoke to more than 1,000 people, almost all of them Democrats, gathered at a high school in suburban St. Paul, Minn.”

• “The attorneys general spoke for about 30 minutes, followed by testimony from laid off federal workers and advocates for immigrants, the disabled and medical research. Members of the audience stood and spoke about how they believed the Trump administration was damaging their lives and the nation.”

• “‘I am grateful they are doing it,’ Democrat Amy Solinger, a social worker in a local school, said before the event. ‘Someone has to try to stop him.’ She said she is worried federal education funding—and perhaps her job—will disappear.” 

###