Attorney General Bonta Highlights Broad Success in Litigation to Defend California’s People, Values, and Resources Against Attacks from the Trump Administration

Across 82 cases, Attorney General Bonta has protected an estimated $207 billion for California

SACRAMENTO — California Attorney General Rob Bonta today announced the release of the California Department of Justice’s (DOJ) second annual report to the Legislature on legal actions it has taken to defend California against illegal acts by the Trump Administration. In just over 18 months, Attorney General Bonta has filed 82 lawsuits on behalf of California, leading or co-leading 55 of them, and separately filed more than 120 amicus briefs in support of other litigation against the Trump Administration. In this period, Attorney General Bonta has secured 45 orders granting early relief, 21 final orders, and in an additional eight cases, the Trump Administration has backed down before the case was heard on the merits. Attorney General Bonta has also celebrated major wins at the U.S. Supreme Court, protecting the right to birthright citizenship, defending California’s redistricting efforts, getting the National Guard off of California’s streets, and blocking the President’s illegal tariffs.

In total, Attorney General Bonta’s lawsuits are protecting an estimated $207 billion in funding for public safety, victims of crimes, education, childcare, food assistance, transportation, clean energy, museums and libraries, and other vital programs and benefits Californians rely on.
 
“Since President Trump returned to office, California has been under attack — and has led the way in fighting back,” said California Attorney General Rob Bonta. “We’ve filed 82 lawsuits in about as many weeks, and we've delivered real, vital, impactful relief for California families amounting to more than $200 billion. We’ve protected funding that keeps our communities safe, feeds hungry families, and ensures our kids get the education they deserve. We’ve gone all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court to defend constitutional rights — and won. We’ve protected our elections and stopped the militarization of our cities. We’ve defended our right to prioritize public safety over assisting with the President’s inhumane immigration agenda. I’m incredibly proud of my team that has worked around the clock on behalf of Californians, pulling countless all-nighters along the way. And I’m grateful for the partnership and support of our Governor and Legislature in ensuring we have the resources we need to carry on this fight. California is not backing down.”

“California has long set the precedent of what it means to defend civil liberties on a state and federal level. We must put an end to federal overreach that puts the lives of people at risk, tramples our constitutional rights, and creates uncertainty across our communities,” said California Senate Pro Tempore Monique Limón. “With the help and leadership of Attorney General Bonta, California has made progress in protecting the rights of every Californian, but we know there is more work to be done. California will not back down from defending our rights, values, and hard-won policies. I am proud to continue working with the Attorney General to ensure California communities know that we have their back.”

“California’s $25 million legal defense fund has protected $207 billion for the people of this state — money Trump tried to rip out of our hospitals, our fire departments, and our workers’ pockets," said California Speaker of the Assembly Robert Rivas. “We will always fight for affordability and defend our schools and families.”

What We’re Protecting
 
Constitutional Right to Birthright Citizenship: On his first day in office in 2025, President Trump issued an executive order seeking to end birthright citizenship for children born in the United States to undocumented parents or parents who are here on a legal, temporary basis. Attorney General Bonta immediately co-led a multistate coalition in filing a lawsuit challenging the order and repeatedly obtained nationwide preliminary injunctions that blocked this order from ever taking effect. In June 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed the constitutional right to birthright citizenship, ensuring that every child born in this country can pursue the American Dream.

Free and Fair Elections: Attorney General Bonta secured back-to-back victories blocking President Trump's illegal executive orders attempting to interfere with states’ constitutional authority to administer elections, which would have infringed on Californians’ right to vote. The first executive order, among other things, attempted to conscript state election officials in the President’s campaign to impose documentary proof of citizenship requirements for voter registration and force states to ignore mail ballots that are cast by Election Day but received by election officials just days afterward. The second executive order, among other things, directed the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to issue regulations that would prohibit the mailing of ballots to voters who are not included on new USPS lists of “enrolled” mail voters.
 
Public Safety and the Constitution: Attorney General Bonta is committed to holding President Trump and his Administration accountable for overreaching their authority under the law and infringing on Californians’ constitutional rights in their efforts to militarize American policing. Last year, Attorney General Bonta, alongside Governor Gavin Newsom, filed a lawsuit challenging the President’s unlawful deployment of California National Guard troops, securing multiple court orders blocking their federalization and deployment to Los Angeles, their deployment to Portland, and finding violations of the Posse Comitatus Act. Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in a related case, Illinois v. Trump, rejecting the Trump Administration’s nearly limitless conception of presidential authority to federalize the National Guard and the activities those troops can engage in, the Trump Administration officially withdrew the remaining troops in California and ended their deployment.
 
Environment and Public Health: Attorney General Bonta has vigorously defended California’s nation-leading climate programs, its pristine environment and natural resources, and essential funding for clean energy, vehicles, and homes. In a major win for clean air and public health, Attorney General Bonta secured a final order requiring the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to move forward with implementation of National Ambient Air Quality Standards for particulate matter. He also secured a final order challenging the illegal withholding of funding for electric vehicle charging infrastructure, and today, nearly all funding allocated to California under the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program has been received. Following multistate litigation and a final court order, the Trump Administration abandoned its effort to indefinitely pause all permitting and approval activities related to onshore or offshore wind energy projects through a “Day One” Presidential Wind Memorandum.
 
Small Businesses and Consumers: Attorney General Bonta has repeatedly challenged President Trump’s illegal and disastrous tariff regimes. Earlier this year, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down President Trump’s imposition of tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977, declaring them illegal, following a multistate lawsuit. Then in May, a federal court issued an order invalidating President Trump’s latest efforts to impose illegal tariffs using Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974. And just this week, California filed a third lawsuit challenging the President’s latest round of tariffs and will continue to stand up for the small businesses and consumers impacted by these unnecessary and illegal price hikes.
 
Public Servants and Shared Resources: Attorney General Bonta secured a final order vacating the Trump Administration’s illegal rule that would have denied Public Service Loan Forgiveness eligibility to employees of organizations deemed by the Trump Administration to have a “substantial illegal purpose.” He separately secured a final ruling blocking the dismantling of several federal agencies that provide funding to museums and libraries, mediate labor disputes, support minority-owned businesses, and help prevent and end homelessness.
 
What We’re Saving
 
Funding for California Children and Families: Earlier this year, the Trump Administration froze funding for childcare and family assistance in five states including California over unsupported allegations of fraud. Attorney General Bonta sued and secured a preliminary injunction, protecting around $5 billion. Attorney General Bonta also protected roughly $8.7 billion through a preliminary injunction in his challenge to the Trump Administration’s attempt to impose new discriminatory conditions on U.S. Department of Agriculture grants. The grants and programs at issue provide critical lifelines to vulnerable communities, families, and children through school lunches, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funding, and other essential programs.
 
Emergency Preparedness Funding: Attorney General Bonta secured a final ruling blocking the Trump Administration’s attempt to shut down the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program, which helps communities prepare for and mitigate the risks from disasters before they happen. California anticipates receiving up to $1.1 billion in funding for various projects across the state. He protected an additional $230 million in a successful challenge to the illegal imposition of immigration enforcement conditions on emergency preparedness grants and $55 million in a successful challenge to the Trump Administration’s attempt to reallocate funding states use to prevent and respond to acts of terrorism away from California based on its adoption of policies the Trump Administration does not like.
 
Transportation Funding: Attorney General Bonta secured a final order blocking the Trump Administration's attempt to impose immigration enforcement conditions on transportation funding amounting to an estimated $7.7 billion. This funding is used to prevent fatal traffic accidents and stop drunk drivers, to provide transit for seniors and those with disabilities, and to protect and restore roads after environmental disasters like fires or flooding. While the Trump Administration initially appealed the order, it later dropped its appeal, fully and permanently resolving the case in California’s favor.
 
Education Funding: The Trump Administration threatened to withhold all federal education funding to California, amounting to approximately $4.9 billion, not once but twice. In the first case, the U.S. Department of Education demanded that state and local education agencies certify compliance with the Department’s unlawful re-interpretation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. In the second case, the Trump Administration threatened to withhold funding based on claims that California’s Department of Education facilitated and promoted the adoption of policies and practices that violate the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. Attorney General Bonta also protected over $900 million in education funding when the Trump Administration backed down following a multistate lawsuit after abruptly freezing funding right before the start of the 2025-2026 school year.
 
You can find more information on Attorney General Bonta’s efforts to protect our people, values, and resources at https://oag.ca.gov/federal-accountability.