If Republicans can do it in red states, then Democrats can do it in blue states: That is, use lawsuits to combat a host of regulatory changes and executive actions that are sure to come from the Trump administration. In fact, the courts will likely provide the best and, in some cases, only line of defense against a bevy of egregious policies that will flow from Trump's team. Vivian Yee writes:
If the Trump administration withdraws from environmental, antitrust or financial regulations, the attorneys general say they will plug regulatory holes that may gape wide open, deploying state laws like New York’s Martin Act, which allows the state attorney general to pursue wide-ranging investigations on Wall Street.
They have pledged to defend undocumented immigrants, and to combat hate crimes that many believe were unleashed by Mr. Trump’s polarizing campaign.
And if Mr. Trump’s policies veer toward the unconstitutional, several of the 10 current and incoming Democratic attorneys general interviewed recently said they would apply a remedy favored by Mr. Trump himself: a lawsuit.
New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman already extracted a $25 million settlement from Trump for his involvement in the fraudulent Trump University. Schneiderman is now sniffing around the Trump Foundation for violations of state law.
Maura Healey of Massachusetts, has joined Mr. Schneiderman in an investigation into whether Exxon Mobil — whose chief executive, Rex W. Tillerson, is Mr. Trump’s choice for secretary of state — lied to investors and the public about the threat of climate change.
And California's incoming attorney general, Rep. Xavier Becerra, has already challenged the federal government, saying, "Come at us."
“Life just got a lot more exciting for those of us at the state level who are now the first line of defense,” said Mr. Schneiderman, adapting a favorite catchphrase of Republican attorneys general.