Democratic attorneys general have sued President Trump’s administration at least three times in New England in under 24 hours, from challenging his administration’s slashing of federal funding to opposing his efforts to upend election procedures across the country.
The most recent slew of legal fights further underscore how Democratic attorneys general have been at the forefront of countering Trump’s agenda. Courts in New England, in particular, have seen a whirlwind of activity, as Trump’s opponents seek to take advantage of factors such as the high number of Democratic appointees in the circuit.
One of those lawsuits came Friday morning, when Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell co-led 16 attorneys general in suing Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Jay Bhattacharya, director of the National Institutes of Health, over changes to biomedical research funding. The agencies have delayed grant applications and canceled existing grants, the attorneys general argued, which “if left unchecked, will continue to cause direct, immediate, significant, and irreparable harm.’’
“Massachusetts is the medical research capital of the country … Our residents depend on these studies to propel lifesaving medical advancements,’’ said Campbell, who already sued Trump in February over different biomedical research funding cuts. “I won’t allow the Trump Administration to take unlawful actions that play politics with our public health.’’
Another challenge was announced Friday afternoon, when Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha led a group of 21 attorneys general in suing the Trump administration in federal court in Rhode Island over drastic cuts made to three agencies that help oversee funding for museums and libraries, seek to support minority-owned businesses, and resolve labor disputes peacefully. The attorneys general argued dismantling federal agencies in this manner, without approval from Congress, is illegal, and the cuts will harm programs in their states.
“All three agencies empower everyday people in this country to access their full potential, whether it be through knowledge, workers’ rights, or small business support,’’ Neronha said in a statement. “By unlawfully attacking these agencies, they are attempting to stifle the American dream. We won’t let them, and neither should you.’’
Those two lawsuits Friday followed a third filed in Boston federal court Thursday evening, when 19 attorneys general sued Trump over an executive order imposing new voting restrictions nationwide. The attorneys general, in that order, opposed his new requirements, which include efforts to require voters provide proof of citizenship to register to vote and prevent states from preventing mail ballots that arrive after Election Day. Powers over elections, the attorneys general argued, are determined by states and Congress, not Trump.
In Massachusetts, Campbell has led or taken part in at least a dozen lawsuits against the Trump administration since he took office in late January over moves from attempting to restrict birthright citizenship to dismantling the Department of Education. Many of those efforts have succeeded in halting, at least temporarily, some of the sweeping changes the Trump administration has sought to make while cases make their way through the courts.
Campbell and other attorneys general have also co-signed several joint statements and amicus briefs condemning other moves Trump has made, such as one brief criticizing efforts to restrict transgender people from joining the military.
Anjali Huynh can be reached at anjali.huynh@globe.com.
