State attorneys general have sued Trump’s administration 138 times — nearly double those of Obama and Bush – By Erik Ortiz (NBC News) / Nov 16 2020
It’s routine for attorneys general to sue the federal government, but experts say the sharp rise signifies the growing partisan and legal divide with Washington.
During President Donald Trump’s four years in office, his administration has sparred in court with state attorneys general over nearly every issue.
Among the topics: the “travel ban“; the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA; family separations at the U.S.-Mexico border; the “national emergency” declaration to build the border wall; international student visas; student loan protections; clean water rules; transgender health care protections; automobile emissions; a citizenship question on the 2020 census; U.S. Postal Service operations; and Obamacare.
If it seems like a lot, it is.
A review of litigation against federal agencies during the Trump administration shows that state attorneys general have filed 138 multistate lawsuits since he took office, according to data compiled by Paul Nolette, a political scientist at Marquette University in Milwaukee who studies the office of attorney general.
It’s a sharp increase from Trump’s predecessors, including Barack Obama, whose administration was sued 78 times during his two presidential terms, and George W. Bush, whose administration was sued 76 times during his two terms.
