Protected: States Standing Up for Safeguards
Since the beginning of the Trump administration, states across the country have joined together to challenge in court the rollback of regulatory safeguards that protect our health, economy, safety and environment. Coalitions led by attorney generals from states like California, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, and Washington have stepped up to challenge the harmful deregulatory agenda pushed by the White House and Trump-controlled agencies.
Check out the database below for a list of major multi-state lawsuits:
Index of State Lawsuits
| Date | Topic | Lead State(s) | Participating States | Category |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019/11 | To apply for a waiver under the Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Air Act to set state emissions standards for cars and light trucks. | California | Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin. | Transportation |
| 2019/11 | To challenge the Department of Energy's final rule rolling back energy efficiency standards for certain light bulbs. | California and New York | Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Nevada, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington | Energy and Environment |
| 2019/10 | To file a petition demanding that the Environmental Protection Agency impose direct pollution limits on industrial sources in nine upwind states. | New York | New Jersey | Energy and Environment |
| 2019/10 | To order the Environmental Protection Agency to issue a pollution plan for delinquent states under the Clean Air Act. | New Jersey | Connecticut | Energy and Environment |
| 2019/10 | To challenge the Environmental Protection Agency's new landfill emissions rules. | California | Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont. | Energy and Environment |
| 2019/9 | To protect the Endangered Species Act. | California | Colorado, Connecticut. Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington. | Energy and Environment |
| 2019/9 | To stop the Trump administration from revoking states' authority to set greenhouse gas emission and fuel economy standards for cars and trucks. | California | Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin. | Transportation |
| 2019/9 | To challenge Security and Exchange Commission's adoption of Regulation Best Interest rule. | New York | California, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, and New Mexico. | Financial |
| 2019/8 | To end the penalization of immigrants using public benefits. | Washington | Colorado, Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico and Rhode Island. | Immigration |
| 2019/8 | To protect the Clean Air Act. | New York | Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Washington. | Energy and Environment |
| 2019/8 | To challenge a final rule issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that reduces penalties for automakers that fail to meet fuel economy standards. | California and New York | Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington. | Transportation |
| 2019/8 | To challenge Environmental Protection Agency's failure to adequately regulate chlorpyrifos, a widely used pesticide on food crops. | New York | California, Maryland, Massachusetts, Vermont and Washington. | Energy and Environment |
| 2019/7 | To strike down Internal Revenue Service rule that would prevent residents of the plaintiff states from obtaining a full federal charitable deduction whenever they contribute to local governments. | New Jersey | Connecticut and New York. | Taxes |
| 2019/7 | To defend the Obama-era Valuation Rule that closes a loophole allowingcompanies to avoid royalty payments when mining on public land. | California and New Mexico | Energy and Environment | |
| 2019/7 | To tighten Environmental Protection Agency's oversight of asbestos. | California and Massachusetts | Connecticut, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oregon and Washington. | Energy and Environment |
| 2019/5 | To challenge the Department of Health and Human Services's proposed rule to reinterpret Medicaid state payment requirements. | California | Connecticut, Massachusetts, Oregon and Washington. | Health |
| 2019/5 | To challenge the Department of the Treasury's failure to respond to Freedom of Information Act records requests. | New York | New Jersey | Regulatory Process |
| 2019/5 | To challenge rule that allows businesses to refuse to provide health care on the basis of “religious beliefs or moral convictions.” | New York | Colorado, Connecticut, Deleware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Wisconsin. | Health |
| 2019/4 | To challenge the Department of Agriculture's alteration of federal nutritional standards. | New York | California, District of Columbia, Illinois, Minnesota, New Mexico and Vermont. | Health |
| 2019/4 | To challenge the Trump administration's anti-regulatory executive order. | California | Oregon and Minnesota. | Regulatory Process |
| 2019/3 | To challenge the Department of Health and Human Service's Title X rule to alter family planning services. | Oregon | Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Wisconsin. | Health |
| 2019/3 | To challenge the rollback of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's injury and illness reporting rules. | New Jersey | Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and New York. | Workplace |
| 2019/2 | To stop Trump’s use of emergency powers to build border wall. | California | Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon and Virginia. | Immigration |
| 2019/1 | To challenge the Environmental Protection Agency's cross-state air pollution rule. | New York | Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts and New Jersey. | Energy and Environment |
| 2018/10 | To challenge the Environmental Protection Agency's denial of a petition requesting out-of-state power plants reduce emissions. | Maryland | Delaware, New York, and New Jersey. | Energy and Environment |
| 2018/10 | To challenge the Environmental Protection Agency's rule weakening air toxic compliance requirements for cement plants. | California | Energy and Environment | |
| 2018/9 | To seek a declaratory judgment that the Affordable Care Act is constitutional. | Maryland | Connecticut, Deleware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia and Washington. | Health |
| 2018/9 | To challenge the Environmental Protection Agency's rule on reporting requirements for mercury products. | Vermont | Connecticut, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Washington. | Energy and Environment |
| 2018/9 | To challenge the Trump administration’s pullback of Migratory Bird Treaty Act. | New York | California, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico and Oregon. | Energy and Environment |
| 2018/9 | To challenge the Environmental Protection Agency's attempt to dismantle environmental waste protections. | California | New Mexico | Energy and Environment |
| 2018/8 | To assert that the Environmental Protection Agency should have designated larger nonattainment areas under the Clean Air Act. | Illinois | Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington. | Energy and Environment |
| 2018/7 | To challenge a State Department settlement regarding the 3D printing of firearms. | Washington | Connecticut, District of Columbia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon and Pennsylvania. | Guns |
| 2018/7 | To challenge a Trump administration rule that allows employers nationwide to offer "junk" health plans. | New York | California, Delaware, District of Columbia, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington. | Health |
| 2018/7 | To file an emergency motion asking for the overturn of the Environmental Protection Agency’s rules for glider vehicles. | California | Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington. | Transportation |
| 2018/7 | To block the Department of Justice's efforts to punish so-called “sanctuary” jurisdictions. | New York | Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Virginia and Washington. | Immigration |
| 2018/7 | To challenge the state and local tax deduction cap in the 2017 tax bill. | New York | Connecticut, Maryland, New York, and New Jersey. | Taxes |
| 2018/6 | To challenge the Trump administration's "2-for-1" regulatory order. | California | Oregon | Regulatory Process |
| 2018/6 | To charge that the Environmental Protection Agency violated the Clean Air Act when it rescinded regulations prohibiting the use of hydrofluorocarbons. | New York | California, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oregon, Vermont and Washington. | Energy and Environment |
| 2018/5 | To challenge the Environmental Protection Agency's lack of compliance with landfill emissions rules. | California | Illinois, Maryland, New Mexico, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont. | Energy and Environment |
| 2018/5 | To challenge the Environmental Protection Agency's violation of the agricultural worker protection standards. | New York | California and Maryland. | Workplace |
| 2018/5 | To protect vehicle emission standards. | California | Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Maine, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Washington. | Transportation |
| 2018/4 | To challenge the Environmental Protection Agency's illegal delay of the implementation of methane emissions rules. | New York | California, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Mexico, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont. | Energy and Environment |
| 2018/4 | To challenge the Department of Commerce's addition of a citizenship question the U.S. census. | New York | Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Washington. | Immigration |
| 2018/2 | To prevent the Environmental Protection Agency from suspending the "waters of the United States" rule. | New York | California, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington. | Energy and Environment |
| 2018/1 | To protect 2015 Open Internet Order that designates internet service providers as public utilities. | New York | California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Washington. | Technology |
| 2018/1 | To challenge the Environmental Protection Agency's failure to abide by National Ambient Air Quality Standards for ozone. | New York | Connecticut | Energy and Environment |
| 2017/12 | To force action under the Clean Air Act. | New York | Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont. | Energy and Environment |
| 2017/12 | To claim that the Environmental Protection Agency is violating the Clean Air Act by delaying regulations on ground level ozone. | California | Connecticut, District of Columbia, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington. | Energy and Environment |
| 2017/12 | To challenge the suspension of the Waste Prevention Rule. | California and New Mexico | Energy and Environment | |
| 2017/12 | To challenge the Department of Education's failure to discharge fraudulent loans. | Massachusetts | Illinois and New York | Education |
| 2017/11 | To challenge the Trump administration's transgender military ban. | California | Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont. | LGBTQ |
| 2017/10 | To challenge the Department of Interior's repeal of a rule that required energy companies to pay royalties when mining on public land. | California | New Mexico | Energy and Environment |
| 2017/10 | To accuse the Department of Education of illegally delaying the "gainful employment rule." | Maryland | California, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Washington. | Education |
| 2017/10 | To challenge the Trump administration's decision to stop making Obama-era subsidy payments for healthcare. | California | Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Washington. | Health |
| 2017/10 | To challenge a rollback of a requirement under the Affordable Care Act for employers to include birth control coverage in their health insurance plans. | Pennsylvania | California, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Washington. | Health |
| 2017/10 | To argue that the Trump Administration's federal rules rescinding contraceptives coverage in the Affordable Care Act. | California | Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Virginia and Washington. | Health |
| 2017/9 | To challenge the repeal of the greenhouse gas performance measures. | California | Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Oregon, Vermont and Washington. | Energy and Environment |
| 2017/9 | To challenge the delay of penalties for violating fuel efficiency standards. | New York | California, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Vermont. | Transportation |
| 2017/9 | To challenge the rescission of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. | New York | Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington. | Immigration |
| 2017/8 | To challenge the Environmental Protection Agency's decision to delay implementation of the 2015 ozone standard. | New York | California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington. | Energy and Environment |
| 2017/8 | To challenge the delay of the Chemical Accident Safety Rule. | New York | Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington. | Energy and Environment |
| 2017/7 | To challenge the illegal postponement of the Waste Prevention Rule. | California | Maryland, New York, New Mexico, Oregon, and Washington. | Energy and Environment |
| 2017/7 | To challenge the Environmental Protection Agency's violation of toxic pesticide regulations. | New York | California, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, Washington and Vermont. | Energy and Environment |
| 2017/7 | To claim that the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, Scott Pruitt, illegally delayed implementation of a rule for congressionally-mandated protections against explosives. | New York | Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington. | Energy and Environment |
| 2017/6 | To challenge the Environmental Protection Agency's delay in implementing regulations for emissions and new oil and gas facilities. | Massachusetts | Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington. | Energy and Environment |
| 2017/6 | To prove that the Department of Energy is illegally delaying the publishing of new energy efficiency standards. | California | Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Vermont and Washington. | Energy and Environment |
| 2017/6 | To challenge the Department of Education's delay of the implementation start date of the borrower defense rule. | Massachusetts | California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Washington. | Education |
| 2017/5 | To challenge the Department of the Interior's decision to reopen a program to lease coal-mining rights on public land without studying potential environmental impacts. | California | New Mexico, New York and Washington. | Energy and Environment |
| 2017/4 | To challenge the Department of the Interior's failure to enforce rule that ensures taxpayers receive adequate royalties from companies that extract oil, gas, and coal from federal lands. | California | New Mexico | Energy and Environment |
| 2017/4 | To defend efficiency standards for light bulbs. | California, District of Columbia, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, Vermont and Washington. | Energy and Environment | |
| 2017/3 | To challenge the unlawful delay in implementing new energy efficiency rules for ceiling fans. | New York | Connecticut, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Oregon, Vermont and Washington. | Energy and Environment |
| 2017/1 | To challenge the Department of Education's protection of for-profit colleges. | District of Columbia, New York, Massachusetts, Illinois, Maine and Maryland. | Education | |
| 2017/1 | To defend the powers of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. | Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington. | Financial |