California Filed 54 Lawsuits Against Trump in Year One — Won Nearly Every One
California filed 54 lawsuits against the Trump administration in its first year — nearly double the first-term pace. Result: 12 final rulings in California's favor, 35 preliminary injunctions, Trump conceded 6 times, $188 billion in funding protected.
In the first year of Trump's second term, California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed 54 lawsuits against the federal government — nearly double the pace of the first term (which saw 120+ over four years). The results were devastating for Trump:
- 12 final rulings in California's favor
- 35 preliminary injunctions and other emergency relief granted
- Trump administration conceded in 6 cases
- $188 billion in funding protected or restored for Californians
The lawsuits spanned nearly every area of federal overreach: birthright citizenship, mass firing of federal workers, blocking California's gas-car sales ban, federal funding freezes for child care, education, health care, and disaster relief, the childhood vaccine schedule overhaul, offshore drilling, tariffs (joining a 23-state coalition), and the illegal deployment of the National Guard to Los Angeles.
Newsom had called a special legislative session the day after Trump's election, allocating $50 million for legal battles — $25 million for the state AG and $25 million for local legal services. The investment paid for itself many times over.
As Newsom put it at Davos, producing "Trump signature series kneepads" to mock leaders who capitulated: California chose to fight instead.