Aggressive legal action by Washington State Attorney General Nick Brown: 13 lawsuits filed against the 'chaotic' president within 100 days
Rewritten Article:
David Gutman: Washington's Relentless Legal Battle with Trump's Second Term
In 2017, during the first 100 days of President Donald Trump's term, the state of Washington sued the administration twice. Fast forward to 2021, and the state has already surpassed that number, filing 13 lawsuits against the administration as Trump moves aggressively in his second term.
Trump's use of executive actions to reshape American government has been unique, marked by efforts to slash spending, dismantle federal agencies, target political opponents, and redefine the essence of American citizenship.
Planning for these potential legal battles started long before Trump's inauguration. Former Attorney General Bob Ferguson, now Governor, admitted that his office spent months analyzing Trump's proposed agenda, looking for areas where the president might overstep legal boundaries. His successor, Nick Brown, who took office in January, has been active in pursuing these endeavors, filing or joining each of the 13 lawsuits.
Brown is not alone in his efforts. He meets regularly with other Democratic attorneys general from around the country, discussing legal strategies, potential lawsuits, and countering a president perceived as disregarding the Constitution.
"We have a lawless president, and I don't say that lightly," Brown declared. "It saddens me that so much of our time is spent protecting Americans from their own president."
Skip Ad
Ferguson, who earned a reputation for suing the federal government nearly 100 times during Trump's first term, didn't match the breakneck pace that Brown has reached in the second. This surge reflects the extensive preparation within the attorney general's office, combined with collaborative efforts with other states.
Trump's rapid implementation of executive orders further accelerated the legal proceedings. He has signed about 140 executive orders - nearly as many as President Joe Biden signed in four years - more than triple the number he signed in 2017 during his first 100 days.
Harrison Fields, a White House spokesperson, promised that the administration would fight all lawsuits in court and "will prevail."
In his Seattle office, Brown reiterated that people should not accept the president's abuse of power.
As attorney general of Washington, Brown leads the second-largest law firm on the West Coast, handling more than 200 state agencies, boards, commissions, colleges, and universities. Despite this broad scope, Brown has found himself focusing on the federal government more and more, even suing the administration on the very first day of Trump's second term.
Of the 13 lawsuits so far, 6 have resulted in preliminary victories, halting Trump's efforts to remake the federal government. For example, Brown and other states successfully halted Trump's order to freeze trillions of dollars in congressionally approved spending before it went into effect.
An avid supporter of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, Brown will be in D.C. at the U.S. Supreme Court next week as it hears arguments in the birthright citizenship case.
Brown goes through a three-pronged test before filing these lawsuits: is the president's action illegitimate or unconstitutional, does it cause harm to Washington residents, and is the state the right party to become involved.
The lawsuits generally fall into one of two categories: those aimed at addressing economic harm, such as job cuts or funding cuts from federal workers, NIH, DOE, libraries, and museums; and those focusing on protecting civil rights, like those born to undocumented parents, transgender patients, and Washington voters.
Many economic lawsuits question the legality of Trump's use of unilateral executive action to undo spending, hiring, or entire agencies once authorized or created by votes in Congress.
Ultimately, Brown views these cases as legal matters rather than policy discussions. "It's pretty clear the president just can't do whatever the hell he pleases," Brown said. "That is the underlying importance to all these cases for me."
- The state of Washington has surpassed its record from Trump's first term, filing 13 lawsuits against the administration in 2021.
- Trump's administration has been unique in its use of executive actions to reshape American government.
- Former Attorney General Bob Ferguson, now Governor, spent months analyzing Trump's proposed agenda to find areas where the president might overstep legal boundaries.
- Governor Nick Brown, who took office in January, has been active in pursuing legal battles with the administration, filing or joining each of the 13 lawsuits.
- Brown meets regularly with other Democratic attorneys general to discuss legal strategies, potential lawsuits, and countering a president perceived as disregarding the Constitution.
- Brown's office leads the second-largest law firm on the West Coast, handling more than 200 state agencies, boards, commissions, colleges, and universities.
- Of the 13 lawsuits so far, 6 have resulted in preliminary victories, halting Trump's efforts to remake the federal government.
- Brown's lawsuits generally fall into one of two categories: those aimed at addressing economic harm and those focusing on protecting civil rights.
- Many economic lawsuits question the legality of Trump's use of unilateral executive action to undo spending, hiring, or entire agencies once authorized or created by votes in Congress.
- Brown views these cases as legal matters rather than policy discussions, stating that the president cannot do whatever he pleases.
- Brown is an avid supporter of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson and will be in D.C. at the U.S. Supreme Court next week as it hears arguments in the birthright citizenship case.
- The lawsuits can impact various aspects of life, including health care, education, economy, transportation, environment, crime, politics, general news, crime-and-justice, accidents, and even war-and-conflicts, as well as public schools and universities, car-accidents, fires, and litigation involving Washingtonians.
