New York Attorney General Letitia James and other state Attorneys General are challenging Trump executive orders in court. (Photo: NYI Collage)
Donald Trump’s first 100 days in office have been marked by a flood of questionable executive orders that go beyond the scope of presidential powers as defined by the U.S. Constitution.
New York Attorney General Letitia James and a coalition of attorneys general have led the charge, filing lawsuits to block, stop, or reverse allegedly unlawful Trump administration actions.
So far, Trump has signed 139 executive orders, more than any other president in the first 100 days in office. Many of the orders usurp the role of Congress on such issues as the budget and statutory law.
Nearly 45% of Trump’s executive orders closely mirror policy recommendations spelled out in Project 2025, a Heritage Foundation presidential agenda that was widely criticized for its draconian proposals, according to an analysis by the Hearst Television Data Team.
During the 2024 presidential campaign, Trump said he had “nothing to do with Project 2025.” Trump repeatedly posted on social media disavowing Project 2025, and in a July post, he called parts of it “ridiculous and abysmal.”
Here are some of the issues in contention.
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. At least 121,000 workers have been fired from federal agencies. Of those, about 10,000 employees worked for the Agency for International Development (USAID), which has been gutted.
Dismantling the Department of Education: On March 13, James led a lawsuit to stop the Trump administration from dismantling the Department of Education (ED).
Public Health Funding Cuts: On March 31, 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, James sued President Trump over his Executive Order seeking to revamp and seize control of elections.
Cutting Health Research Grants: On April 4, 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, James sued the Trump administration to stop the dismantling of IMLS and two other federal agencies.
Cutting Grants to Schools: On April 10, 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, James sued the Trump administration for imposing illegal tariffs on the American people.
Ending Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) Practices: On April 25, James led a lawsuit against the Trump administration’s requirement for states to end DEIA practices in schools.
James has also filed or joined 22 amicus briefs – or “friend of the court” briefs – supporting critical lawsuits across the nation against other illegal and damaging Trump administration policies.
Consumer Protection: On February 20, 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, James filed an amicus brief urging the court to block Trump’s Executive Orders restricting gender-affirming care.
Transgender Military Ban: In February, 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: 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: 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, 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, 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.