Attorney General James Releases Statement on First 100 Days of Trump Administration

NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James today released a statement to mark the first 100 days of the Trump administration and recount the dozens of legal actions the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) has taken to protect New Yorkers from the administration’s dangerous and illegal policies. Since January 20, Attorney General James has filed and joined 15 lawsuits and 22 amicus briefs in coalition with Democratic state attorneys general across the country, successfully blocking some of the administration’s most harmful attacks. From protecting birthright citizenship and federal workers, to preserving access to education, health care, and free and fair elections, Attorney General James and her fellow attorneys general are fighting to safeguard the rights and well-being of millions.

“We will not allow this administration to trample our Constitution, strip Americans of their fundamental rights, and dismantle critical services that millions of people rely on every day,” said Attorney General James. “We stopped some of their most unconstitutional policies dead in their tracks, and we are not slowing down. If this administration continues to bulldoze the Constitution and ignore the law, they will find all of us standing in the way every single time.”

Since January 20, Attorney General James and a coalition of attorneys general have led the charge in filing lawsuits to block, stop, or reverse unlawful Trump administration actions:

• Ending Birthright Citizenship: On January 21, Attorney General James sued to block President Trump’s unconstitutional executive order attempting to end birthright citizenship and won a preliminary injunction, upheld by the First Circuit.
• Freezing Federal Funds: On January 28, Attorney General James led a lawsuit to stop the Trump administration’s attempt to freeze all federal funding, winning a temporary restraining order (TRO) and a preliminary injunction, as well as three motions to enforce, and successfully restoring billions of dollars in critical funding.
• Granting DOGE Access to U.S. Treasury Systems: On February 7, Attorney General James led 19 states in a lawsuit to block Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) team from accessing sensitive payment systems at the Treasury Department, winning a TRO and a preliminary injunction.
• Cutting Medical Research Funds: On February 10, Attorney General James sued to stop a National Institutes of Health (NIH) policy slashing reimbursement rates for biomedical research, securing a TRO and a preliminary injunction. On April 5, Attorney General James won a final judgment permanently blocking these unlawful rate cuts.
• Cutting Grants for Teacher Training: On March 6, Attorney General James joined a lawsuit to block the Trump administration from canceling $600 million in teacher pipeline grants.
• Mass Firings of Federal Workers: On March 6, Attorney General James sued the Trump administration for firing thousands of federal workers without cause.
• Dismantling the Department of Education: On March 13, Attorney General James led a lawsuit to stop the Trump administration from dismantling the Department of Education (ED).
• Public Health Funding Cuts: On March 31, Attorney General James sued the Trump administration for slashing $11 billion in critical public health, mental health, and addiction funding for state and local governments and successfully secured a court order restoring the funds.
• Interfering in Elections: On April 3, Attorney General James sued President Trump over his Executive Order seeking to revamp and seize control of elections.
• Cutting Health Research Grants: On April 4, Attorney General James sued NIH for canceling millions of dollars in grant funding for research projects based on their connection to issues the President opposes.
• Dismantling the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS): On April 4, Attorney General James sued the Trump administration to stop the dismantling of IMLS and two other federal agencies.
• Cutting Grants to Schools: On April 10, Attorney General James led a lawsuit to restore states’ access to critical grant funds that help schools and students recover from the pandemic
• Imposing Illegal Tariffs: On April 23, Attorney General James sued the Trump administration for imposing illegal tariffs on the American people.
• Ending Diversity, Equity, Inclusion. and Accessibility (DEIA) Practices: On April 25, Attorney General James led a lawsuit against the Trump administration's requirement for states to end DEIA practices in schools.

Attorney General James has also filed and joined 22 amicus briefs – or “friend of the court” briefs – supporting critical lawsuits across the nation against other illegal and damaging federal administration policies:

• Consumer Protection: On February 20, Attorney General James filed an amicus brief to warn against efforts to disband and defund the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and, the following day, submitted another amicus brief in support of CFPB workers who were instructed to stop work.
• Gender-Affirming Care: On February 21, Attorney General James filed an amicus brief urging the court to block Trump’s Executive Orders restricting gender-affirming care.
• Transgender Military Ban: In February, Attorney General James filed two amicus briefs urging the court to block the Trump administration’s ban on transgender service members in the U.S. military.
• Federal Appointees: Attorney General James has filed three amicus briefs supporting the reinstatement of National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) member Gwynne Wilcox, as well as an amicus brief supporting the reinstatement of Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) Member Cathy Harris and another supporting the reinstatement of two Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Commissioners, all of whom were unlawfully fired from their roles.
• Temporary Protected Status: Attorney General James has led three amicus briefs fighting against the Trump administration’s early termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for hundreds of thousands of legal immigrants. She has filed one amicus brief supporting TPS for Venezuelans, one supporting TPS for Haitians, and one supporting TPS for both Venezuelans and Haitians.
• Humanitarian Parole: On March 21, Attorney General James led an amicus brief opposing the Trump administration’s planned termination of humanitarian parole programs.
• Campus Free Speech: On April 11, Attorney General James filed an amicus brief defending the free speech rights of students and scholars who were targeted for immigration enforcement based on their beliefs.
• Social Security: On April 15, Attorney General James filed an amicus brief fighting back against the unlawful layoffs and chaotic mismanagement at the Social Security Administration.
• Law Firms: Since March, Attorney General James has filed four amicus briefs supporting law firms unjustly targeted by the Trump administration: Perkins Coie, WilmerHale, Jenner and Block, and Susman Godfrey.

In addition to court action, Attorney General James has pushed back forcefully against broader federal attacks. Following the president’s January 28th Executive Order threatening federal funds for health care providers who provide gender-affirming care, Attorney General James wrote a letter to New York providers reminding them that they still are beholden to state anti-discrimination laws. Attorney General James also submitted a comment letter opposing proposed State Department changes that would eliminate the ability of transgender Americans to obtain passports matching their gender identity. In light of the Trump administration’s attacks on DEIA, Attorney General James issued a joint statement with 11 attorneys general defending the importance and legality of DEIA initiatives and led a multistate guidance reminding schools of their rights to continue DEIA programs in education. Attorney General James has also issued guidance to companies, law enforcement, workers, employers, and students and schools detailing the rights immigrants are entitled to and legal guidelines for engaging with immigration enforcement authorities.