When it comes to being a check on the president's power, many say Congress has fallen down on the job. But another force has risen up to take over that role: state attorneys general.
That role gained steam with Republican attorneys general teaming up to oppose the Obama administration.
But the moment that President Donald Trump took office in 2016, Democratic AGs turned the tables. They mobilized into strike squads and have sued the president over everything from immigration and environmental policy to the money being spent by foreigners at the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C.
After last month's election, Democrats now make up a majority of state attorneys general across the country. What does that mean for the Trump administration and states like Connecticut over the next two years?
GUESTS:
- Paul Nolette - Political Science Professor, Marquette University, and author of Federalism on Trial: State Attorneys General and National Policymaking in Contemporary America (@ProfNolette)
- William Tong - Democratic Connecticut Attorney General-elect (@WilliamTongCT)
- Greg Zoeller - Former Republican Indiana Attorney General
READING LIST:
Paul Nolette and Colin Provost: Change and Continuity in the Role of State Attorneys General in the Obama and Trump Administrations - "During the Trump Administration, state attorneys general have become entrenched as integral policymaking actors in the United States."
The Nation: The Most Important Office in the Trump Era Isn't at the Top of the Ballot - "In an era characterized by gridlock and dysfunction at all levels of government, attorneys general get things done."
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Chion Wolf contributed to the show.
