Democratic attorneys general escalate legal fight against Trump

NEW YORK -- The Trump resistance movement cheered when Democratic attorneys general in several states sued to block the president's plan to bar travelers from some Muslim majority countries.

But with far less fanfare in the months since, an emboldened coalition of Democratic state attorneys general has unleashed a torrent of lower-profile litigation they argue is necessary to protect public health, the environment and consumers from a Republican White House.

State attorneys from Massachusetts to New York to California, often working together, have brought more than 40 legal actions against the Trump administration over the last seven months.

The pace, which both parties describe as unprecedented, has produced an average of one lawsuit or legal motion every five days since Trump's inauguration, not including letters, legal threats and comments to federal agencies.

"Donald Trump and his administration has been out there in ways that are illegal, that are unprecedented, that don't seem to understand some of the basics of the rule of law," said Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey. "It's required constant vigilance from Day 1."

The White House did not respond to a request for comment. But the frequency and variety of the legal challenges -- from cases involving the energy efficiency of ceiling fans to gender- reassignment surgeries at the Veteran's Administration -- have sparked criticism Democrats may be playing politics with their states' legal resources.