How California is fighting Trump in court
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Attorney General Rob Bonta speaks at a press conference in 2024. Photo: Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images
California Attorney General Rob Bonta has been actively working to block President Trump's policy agenda with numerous lawsuits since Trump took office.
Why it matters: The state's Democratic leaders are once again putting California on the front lines of the blue-state resistance and using taxpayer dollars to fund the costly legal battles.
Context: During Trump's first term, California sued the federal government more than 120 times — spending more than $40 million — over environmental regulations, immigration, health care and other issues.
- Trump lost about two-thirds of the cases, CalMatters reported.
Between the lines: Gov. Gavin Newsom convened a special session last year to establish a litigation fund with $25 million in preparation for the future fights.
- Bonta's team has also been preparing legal briefs to challenge a variety of potential policies related to abortion access, mass deportations and transgender rights.
State of play: Here's a rundown of the legal challenges.
Tariffs and global trade war
April 16: Newsom announced the state is suing to block President Trump's sweeping tariffs, arguing that his use of the International Economic Emergency Powers Act to impose the levies without congressional approval was unlawful.
- As the world's fifth-largest economy, California could lose billions in the trade war with China and tariffs have already inflated costs and disrupted supply chains statewide.
- At least three other lawsuits argue that Trump using the emergency powers law to impose tariffs is executive overreach.
Health and Human Services grant cuts
April 1: Bonta is co-leading a coalition of 23 states and the District of Columbia in suing HHS and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., for terminating $11 billion in public health grants to states.
- California could lose more than $972 million, jeopardizing jobs and programs related to mental health and substance abuse, child vaccinations and emergency transportation services, according to Bonta.
- The attorneys general allege the cancellations are illegal, and they are seeking a temporary restraining order to restore the funding to prevent "irreparable harm."
Dismantling the Department of Education
March 13: Bonta and 20 other Democratic attorneys general filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over its plan to gut the Department of Education.
- They argue the recent mass layoff of department staff was "illegal and unconstitutional," and will cause loss or delays in funding or support "impacting nearly every aspect of K-12 education" in their states.
Defunding medical and public health research
Feb. 10: California joined 21 other states to sue the Trump administration after the National Institutes of Health announced cuts to the rate it pays for indirect costs.
- State universities and research institutions rely on NIH grant funding for medical research and treatments, and this money typically covers operating expenses like lab space.
Federal worker buyout
Feb. 9: In an amicus brief, California and other states challenged the "Fork in the Road" directive that offered federal workers eight months of pay in a deferred resignation plan.
- Federal worker unions filed the original lawsuit calling the "buyout" offer legally questionable and coercive.
- California is home to 150,000 federal employees.
- The latest: A federal judge on Feb, 12 lifted the pause on the program, allowing it to move forward, Axios' Sareen Habeshian and Emily Peck report.
DOGE access to payment system
Feb. 7: The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, obtained access to the U.S. Treasury's central payment system, a move California and 18 other states contend is illegal.
- Musk could freeze payments from the system, such as Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, as well as billions that states use for essential services, in just a click, the lawsuit alleges.
- Federal law only allows a select group of civil servants with security clearances to access the system. The lawsuit challenges a policy change allowing access for Musk's group.
- A federal judge blocked DOGE associates from accessing personal data during the litigation process.
Jan. 28: California and several other states filed a lawsuit seeking a preliminary injunction to block Trump and the federal budget office from pausing $3 trillion in federal assistance.
- More than one-third of California's budget comes from federal funds — money that's critical for social services, Medi-Cal health care, schools and universities, research institutions, hospitals and public transportation.
- While court orders blocked the initial executive order, Bonta and other attorneys general argue payments are still being withheld.
Jan. 21: A coalition of states and cities, including San Francisco, filed a legal challenge to Trump's executive order ending citizenship for U.S.-born children of undocumented immigrants.
- Without citizenship, these people would lose basic rights to health care, federal food and housing assistance, financial aid, lawful employment and their right to vote. They'd also be at risk of deportation.
ACA access for DACA recipients
Jan. 15: Before Trump's inauguration, California and other states filed a motion to intervene in a lawsuit to preemptively protect access to Affordable Care Act insurance exchanges for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients.
- Nearly 30% of all DACA recipients live in California — more than any other state, according to Bonta's office.
What we're watching: Bonta and other state AGs are threatening to take action to nullify an executive order banning gender-affirming care if it moves forward.
Axios reporters Kate Murphy, Andrew Keatts, Shawna Chen, Nadia Lopez and John Frank contributed to this reporting.
Editor's note: This is a developing story and will be updated.