100 days in, Mass. AG Campbell says she's busier than expected suing the Trump administration

Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell said that from day one, she was ready to use her office to push back and hold President Trump accountable. But she said she's been surprised by just how often she's had to do that.

"What's different about Trump 2.0 versus 1.0 is the pace at which they're putting out unlawful actions," Campbell said, speaking Friday on a video call with reporters about Trump's first 100 days in office.

Campbell's predecessor in the AG's office, Maura Healey, now the state's governor, sued the first Trump administration almost 100 times and became one of the faces of the Democratic resistance. Campbell's office is on pace to surpass that number, having already filed suit against the administration 14 times in just over three months.

The attorney general said she didn't expect "the volume of the attacks from the federal administration on the rule of law, on immigrants, vulnerable communities and the state's economy would be much greater and quicker than the first term."

Her list of legal actions include joining with other Democratic attorneys general to challenge Trump’s executive order to end birthright citizenship; to block an effort by the administration to withhold trillions of dollars in federal funding for schools, roads and bridges; and to prevent Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing the private financial information of millions of citizens. In all three of those cases, Campbell and her fellow Democratic AGs won preliminary injunctions to block the policies.

Campbell also touted a successful push to stop the administration’s effort to limit funds distributed by the National Institutes of Health, which many Boston-area hospitals and universities count on to conduct cutting edge medical work.

"This is research that has proven not only to save lives, but clinical trials for cancer, adult cancer, pediatric cancer, you name it," Campbell said.

On the same day Campbell spoke to reporters, her office joined a multi-state lawsuit against the administration for threatening to withhold education funding over diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

She lamented what she called "the divisiveness and the hatred" that characterizes some of Trump's policies, "especially towards immigrants." And while Campbell said her office has delivered early wins and protections for Massachusetts, she acknowledged she won't win every fight.

The AG's comments came on a day when the clash between the Trump Administration and the nation's legal system seemed to veer ever closer to a constitutional crisis: The FBI on Friday arrested Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan, charging her with obstructing an immigrant arrest. The specter of one branch of the government arresting an official from another branch prompted several Democratic senators to denounce what they regard as a troubling erosion of the constitutional separation of powers.

Still, as Campbell assessed her work 100 days into this administration, she remained relatively upbeat, suggesting that the nation's legal guardrails remain intact. She said she's encouraged that the U.S. Supreme Court has shown a willingness to push back against the administration, citing key decisions that have generally upheld the right to due process.

"They do care about our constitution," Campbell said about the justices of the nation's highest court. "I don't think they're going to allow one man or one administration to unravel the bedrock of our democratic country."

Campbell said she's well aware that many people across Massachusetts are feeling "fear, anger and anxiety” about the administration's policies. At the same time, she said, living a joyous life is "an act of resistance." (Joy is her middle name, she noted.)

It used to be rare for attorneys general to sue the federal government, but it's become routine. Republican AGs repeatedly joined forces to sue the Obama administration, targeting health and environmental policies. Democratic AGs, led by the likes of Healey, were even busier opposing the first Trump presidency, when Politico branded them "the shock troops of the Democratic resistance." Then, Republicans went to work suing the Biden administration.

Asked about her role as an emerging leader of the Trump resistance and whether she's worried about having a target on her back, Campbell pledged to continue to "protect the rule of law."

"Bring it on,"she said. "This is what Massachusetts has always done."