California Attorney General Xavier Becerra’s strategy since Trump taking office has been to pester the administration on an almost nonstop basis with lawsuits. Since the beginning of Tump’s term, Becerra has filed a whopping twenty-four lawsuits. Some of the lawsuits are:
- Opposing the travel ban.
The Supreme Court ruled to allow the travel ban to remain in affect.
- Opposing Trump’s decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
Trump is calling on Congress to come up with a fix to DACA.
- Opposing the border wall.
The Trump administration has pushed for expedited construction of Southern California border walls and is testing prototypes. A federal court hearing is set for February 9th.
- Opposing the federal government from witholding grants from sanctuary cities.
A San Francisco federal court hearing was held on December 13th.
- Opposing immigration enforcement policies
The state of California joined the state of Massachusetts in a lawsuit to obtain the Trump administration’s federal immigration policies. The suit is still pending in federal court in Massachusetts.
- Opposing the Trump administration’s directive seeking to ban transgender people from the military.
On November 8th, California filed suit to challenge Trump’s August directive. The directive has since been at least temporarily halted by federal judges.
- Opposing the protections offered to employers who have religious objections to supplying their employees with birth control.
This law took effective immediately, but California is seeking to overturn it.
- Opposing the President’s plan to end federal subsidy payments.
In October Attorney General Becerra led a group of Attorneys General from multiple states in a lawsuit attempting to block the President’s plan.
- Challenging Trump EPA-appointee Scott Pruitt.
Becerra filed Freedom of Information Act requests seeking information on Pruitt. The requests were never responded too and Pruitt is still in charge of the EPA. Becerra filed a lawsuit which is pending in the District of Columbia’s U.S. District Court.
- Defending Obama-era natural gas rules rolled back by the Trump administration.
On December 8th the Trump administration issued a directive to temporarily delay the Obama-era regulation. California filed suit calling it a much needed means of waste prevention that needs to be enforced.
- Fighting the Trump administration’s reinstatement of federal coal leasing on public land without an environmental review.
Becerra wants an environmental review of the program. He teamed up with New Mexico, New York and Washington’s Attorneys General to file a lawsuit claiming risks of environmental pollution. The lawsuit is pending in federal court in Montana.
- Suing the EPA for failing to designate clean air standards.
The Trump administration so far has still not designated air quality regulations for regions of the United States. The lawsuits filed by California, New York, and other states are currently pending.
- Suing the Trump administration for not implementing appliance energy usage standards.
California and ten other states sued the Department of Energy for failing to implement energy usage standards for industrial appliances. The Department of Energy has let some of the rules go into affect while fighting against some of the other regulations.
- Opposing the Trump administration’s delay of a rule requiring automakers to comply with a federal fuel efficiency standards.
Becerra and other Attorneys General sued the Trump administration citing emissions pollution leading to climate change. The suits are pending.
- Forcing the federal government to implement a rule to measure greenhouse gases and emissions on roadways.
Becerra filed a lawsuit attempting to force the federal government to regulate emissions after the Trump administration delayed a rule enforcing regulation of emissions and greenhouse gases.
- Suing to force the EPA to implement environmental regulations to make ceiling fans more efficient.
Becera filed a lawsuit attempting to force the EPA to enforce regulations on ceiling fans to make them more energy-efficient.
