‘We were ready’: Democratic attorneys general lead fight to stop Trump | US politics

FSitting in offices from New York to California, with state flags and books behind them, our Democratic attorneys general announced a new lawsuit Thursday, claiming the president is once again breaking the law by trying to create new tariffs without congressional approval.

It’s a familiar scene now for the group of top law enforcement officials who have collectively filed more than 50 lawsuits against the Trump administration and serve as a counterweight to the president’s quest to expand his power and circumvent the constitution.

They have protected billions of dollars for their states. During the government shutdown, they halted or paused policies that would cut food aid, close health programs and job training, restrict funding for crime victims, end birthright citizenship, cut funding for schools, and keep illegal tariffs in place.

At a time when some institutions and elected leaders have chosen to play nice with the Trump administration, 23 Democratic attorneys general have done the opposite.

“We know that the most influential position elected right now is the Democratic AG,” said Andrea Campbell, Massachusetts attorney general.

Their cases have a high success rate, Arizona attorney general Kris Mayes estimates: about 80 percent have obtained temporary restraining orders or injunctions. He signed nearly 40 lawsuits filed by Democratic attorneys general against the administration.

Joint lawsuits by attorneys general are not new. Republican attorneys general have joined together in lawsuits against Democratic administrations and have now filed joint briefs to defend Trump policies. Partisan attorney general groups often work collaboratively on cases involving opioids or predatory businesses.

But the past year plus a spate of lawsuits filed by Democratic attorneys general are dwarfing previous efforts. The scope of his legal work is broad and growing. Recently, actor Mark Ruffalo called on social media for state attorneys general to come together to fight the potential Paramount/Warner Bros. merger, and California attorney general Rob Bonta said he was “talking” to his attorney general colleagues about the issue.

Nearly two dozen Democratic attorneys general and their staffs have met regularly since Trump returned to the White House. Even before Trump won in November 2024, they were preparing for a potential Trump presidency by scanning his comments and Republican plans like Project 2025 to prepare the lawsuits they expected to file.

When Trump began his second presidency with an executive order aimed at reversing birthright citizenship, which does not allow those born in the United States to foreign parents to become citizens, Democratic attorneys general sued him the next day; He is one of many people who filed this lawsuit. The decision was blocked by the courts and will be heard by the US supreme court in April.

Part of the group’s success is due to its preparation, but some attorneys general told the Guardian they would not have won so much if the Trump administration had not blatantly violated the law.

“I’d like to say we won these cases because we’re all a bunch of Johnnie Cochrans or Perry Masons or whatever,” Minnesota attorney general Keith Ellison said. “But the truth is, what he did is clearly illegal, and a first-year law student knows that.”

Attorneys general’s offices found that the cost of Trump’s lawlessness exceeded the costs of additional lawyers and added lawyers and refocused their staff to focus on federal accountability.

“He is taking money from our state,” said Ellison, who has filed more than 50 lawsuits against the Trump administration since last January. “What we can’t do is let them pick Minnesota’s pockets.”

Meanwhile, their Republican counterparts are completely absent, even when the current issue of high taxes on local businesses also affects red states.

“They are apathetic and indifferent, and I think they secretly support us, because when we secure a victory and tariffs are lowered, their residents benefit from that, their businesses benefit from that,” Bonta said at a recent news conference.

The U.S. supreme court limited universal injunctions in mid-2025, although some cases led to reversing policies for entire states or blocking them from taking effect nationwide; This means that in a given case, only the states that signed the lawsuit can receive compensation.

“It has never been more important to have an attorney general who is willing to stand up on behalf of consumers and citizens,” Mayes said. “If you don’t have a Democratic AG, you’re going to be hurt by the Trump administration. And the irony of all this is that Republican AGs and their states are getting hammered by Trump because they don’t get the same relief as we do.”

Democratic AGs often implore their Republican colleagues to join their cause and protect money coming into their states, but they know political dynamics (namely, a vindictive president willing to mobilize his supporters against them) come into play.

“I know they care about their state, but they’re afraid,” said Delaware attorney general Kathy Jennings. “They’re just plain scared. There’s nothing else I can say about that, they just won’t stand up to this guy for fear of the consequences they or their constituents will face.”

Adam Piper, executive director of the Republican Attorneys General Association (Raga), said that Republican attorneys general have repeatedly sued the Biden administration “to make America safer, energy more affordable, and our border more secure,” while Democratic attorneys general have “prioritized political witch hunts against President Trump.”

“These different approaches make clear that Attorneys General are at the forefront of the policy fights that impact Americans the most, making AG races the most important statewide contest this November,” Piper said.

A. Few of the Democratic AGs served at least part of Trump’s first term, but they knew his second term would be different. There would be few, if any, dissenting voices around the president to stop his plans. He would be better prepared to enact the laundry list of policies he touted on the campaign trail. They better understood that Trump’s fuss was not just talk, that his predictions should be taken seriously.

The attorneys general began speaking in early 2024 and have met regularly to determine how to respond to key issues.

Ellison said they met in person that year to discuss Project 2025 and other plans Trump had publicly announced. They split into groups to focus on the rule of law, immigration, schools, LGBTQ+ and trans rights, and diversity. They discussed how they could show that they had the right to sue and wrote notes. He said they talked about which states to file suit based on where they believed they would have an advantage.

The full-court crackdown against Trump began the moment Trump took office and has not abated since.

“We’re prepared,” Delaware’s Jennings said. “We were ready and we have stayed ready every day since.”

Their plans included public participation. They hit the road to town halls across the country, doubling as a way to gather evidence for current and future cases and rally supporters to become more involved in the fight. Although Americans have participated in mass protests and boycotts since then, there was little public resistance when attorneys general took office at city halls in early 2025. The Minnesota city hall in March was standing room only and the AGs received a standing ovation.

Attorneys general still meet regularly twice a week via video, Mayes said. Their employees are in touch every day.

Oregon attorney general Dan Rayfield said these meetings allow them to share what’s happening on the ground in their state. Sometimes an issue can be more isolated, but often when an issue comes up other states see it, he said.

They collectively decide which states will take the lead on a particular case, often based on who has the expertise and availability.

“The reality of the AR world is that New York and California are the big dogs; they really do have a lot more people than the rest of us,” Ellison said. “And they often contribute more than their abilities. But there are also many states that punch above their weight.”

Doing nothing was never an option for Campbell. He does his job because he believes in serving and helping people, and he has a responsibility to protect Massachusetts residents, the state’s economy, and the rule of law overall.

“We have the courage to stand up not only for our residents, but for the constitution,” he said. “We also know that you cannot have a functioning state economy without a constitution.”