Trump Admin 'Can't Keep Up' With Legal Challenges as Justice Department Left Short-Staffed by Cuts, California AG Says
California Attorney General Rob Bonta says the Trump administration is struggling to defend its policies in court due to a hollowed-out Justice Department that "can't keep up" with the mounting legal challenges from state officials.
Since President Donald Trump returned to the White House in January, his administration has aggressively rolled out sweeping policies on immigration, voting rights, environmental deregulation and birthright citizenship.
In response, Democratic-led states, especially California, have revived their strategy of using the courts to block federal actions. During Trump's first term, California filed over 100 lawsuits against his administration. That legal resistance is now resurging, but this time with even more muscle and resources, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
According to Bonta, California has already filed or joined 22 lawsuits against Trump's second-term administration. Thanks to a $25 million funding boost approved by the state legislature, Bonta's office has hired additional legal talent, many of them former federal attorneys, to build out a war room of sorts.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Justice, especially its civil rights division, is reportedly understaffed and overwhelmed. Attrition and budget cuts have gutted its capacity, forcing local U.S. attorneys to appear in court for matters usually handled by Washington-based specialists.
"Their own strategy of 'flood the zone' — and the confusion and chaos and shock and awe — has almost this boomerang effect, where we've responded and the ball's back in their court now and they can't keep up," Bonta told the Chronicle. "This speed and this volume has repercussions on their ability to defend themselves."
The staffing shortages are having real legal consequences: in nine of the 22 lawsuits, federal judges have already granted preliminary injunctions in favor of California. Bonta anticipates that, at the current rate, his office will match the volume of lawsuits filed during Trump's first term by the 2026 midterms.
The mismatch in resources, an emboldened California legal team versus a shorthanded federal one, is giving states a significant courtroom advantage. If the Justice Department remains under-resourced, legal experts suggest it could lead to a wave of policy paralysis for the Trump administration.
Originally published on Latin Times
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
DW
2 hours ago
- DW
What Trump-Musk feud means for tech billionaire's businesses – DW – 06/06/2025
Tesla CEO Elon Musk spent some $300 million on Donald Trump's campaign, gaining unprecedented access to the Republican president's administration. What does their public row mean for Musk's empire? How did Musk and Trump get so close? Once a vocal critic of Donald Trump during his 2016 United States election campaign, Elon Musk, the billionaire CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, pivoted from his Democratic Party roots to embrace Trump's policies during the Republican's second term. Frustrated by Obama-era regulations stifling his ventures, Musk embraced Trump's agenda of tax cuts and deregulation. Their bond grew from mutual respect to a robust political alliance, which saw Musk last year back Trump's reelection campaign to the tune of nearly $300 billion (€263 billion). When Trump returned to the White House in January, the world's richest man took on an advisory role in the administration, leading the controversial Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Tasked with slashing public spending, Musk's role stirred controversy, impacting Tesla's stock price and auto sales. After months of pressure from investors, Musk agreed last month to scale back his work in Trump's government. Trump and Musk on the outs over Big Beautiful Bill To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video What sparked the public feud between Trump and Musk? On Thursday, wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the "The Dogefather," Musk was given an initially cordial farewell by the president in the Oval Office. But Trump could not contain his frustration at Musk's earlier criticism of his administration's sweeping tax and spending bill, which the Tesla founder called fiscally reckless and a "disgusting abomination." After Musk then accused the US president of alleged ties to child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the news conference ended with Trump threatening to revoke Musk's government contracts, which could cost his business empire billions of dollars. Over the next few hours, the row spilled over to social media, where both men repeated their White House remarks, prompting the SpaceX owner to announce an immediate decommissioning of its Dragon spacecraft, before appearing to back down. How did markets react to the Trump-Musk fallout? Tesla stock lost about $150 billion in market value on Thursday — the largest single-day decline in its history. The stock closed down over 14%. However, news outlet Politico reported Friday that the two men were scheduled to speak later in the day in the hope of defusing the situation, which caused a sharp reversal in the stock's fortunes. Tesla stock was up 5% in pre-market trade. However, a White House official said later Friday that Trump had no plans for any call, adding that he may get rid of his Tesla bought in March in a show of support against Musk in the face of anti-Tesla protests. Tesla shares have been on a wild rollercoaster ride this year after a strong performance around the US election. Having peaked at $428 in January, shares in the electric vehiclemaker plummeted by almost half in March as investors reacted negatively to Musk's involvement in the Trump administration. Tesla stock then rallied when Trump paused his unprecedented tariffs on the rest of the world and after US regulators eased rules on self-driving vehicles. Trump came to Musk's aid when Tesla vehicles and dealerships were attacked Image:What's at stake for Musk's empire? The public spat, as well as Trump's budget plans, have left the fortunes of Musk's companies hanging in the balance. Tesla, Musk's most profitable firm, could be severely impacted by Trump's plans to cut a subsidy on new electric vehicles that is worth up to $7,500 for buyers. Despite Musk's aggressive criticism and lobbying by Tesla, Trump plans to eliminate the credit by the end of the year, seven years before it was due to expire. News agency Bloomberg cited JP Morgan analysts as saying that the cut would reduce Tesla's full-year profit by $1.2 billion. Cuts to state-level credits could further impact the EV maker's bottom line this financial year. It could, however, encourage EV buyers to bring forward their plans and spur demand for Tesla's vehicles in the short term. Tesla is already being impacted by Trump's tariffs as the firm relies on Chinese parts for its Cybercab robotaxi and Semi electric truck. Starlink satellite system shaping modern warfare To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video However, it is unclear whether Trump can unilaterally make good on his threat to tear up federal contracts with Musk's firms like SpaceX. Since 2000, SpaceX has received more than $22 billion in contracts from the US Defense Department and space agency NASA. If Trump were to terminate the contracts, it would have a huge financial impact on SpaceX and disrupt the US government's space ambitions. SpaceX's Crew Dragon is currently the only US spacecraft certified to carry crew to the International Space Station (ISS). Any ending of Pentagon contracts involving Musk's Starlink satellite internet service would also be a lose-lose for both Musk and the government. Starlink provides broadband services to rural areas. Terminals are also deployed on US military bases, ships, aircraft, and armored vehicles. The satellite internet service is often used for disaster response. Edited by: Uwe Hessler
Int'l Business Times
3 hours ago
- Int'l Business Times
Tesla Shares Rise Over 5% After Elon Musk Hints at Cool off Period With President Donald Trump
Elon Musk's net worth fell by almost £25.11 billion ($34 billion) in a short span after Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) shares tanked over 14% yesterday to wipe out £110.81 billion ($150 billion) in market value over a spiralling public clash between the richest person in the world and the US President Donald Trump, two people who worked together for months to reshape the federal government. The rift between the two over a tax bill took an ugly turn when Trump threatened to cancel federal contracts with Musk's companies. The SpaceX owner responded with his own threats to decommission the Dragon spacecraft, which carries astronauts and cargo to and from the International Space Station. Bloomberg estimated that total revenue for SpaceX and Tesla from federal unclassified contracts was over £16.25 billion ($22 billion) over the past two decades. 'The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon's governmental subsidies and contracts,' Trump wrote on Truth Social. While Musk has claimed that Trump's tax-cut bill could bankrupt America and trigger a recession by year-end, financial analysts forecast that the legislation would also abolish a credit of up to £5,540 ($7,500) for buyers of several Tesla models by 2025-end and lead to a £886.49 million ($1.2 billion) financial impact on the company's full-year profit. If the proposed bill is passed, the end of credits would arrive seven years ahead of schedule. 'Elon was wearing thin, I asked him to leave, I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY!," Trump had wrote. After a public spat where Musk even suggested Trump's impeachment and that his name is in the Epstein files, the Tesla owner hinted he is open to cooling off tensions with Trump, which lifted the EV stock by 5.4% in Friday premarket trading. In response to an X user tweet saying that it is a shame this back and forth and that both Musk and Trump 'cool off' for a few days, Musk responded by saying it is 'good advice' and that 'we [SpaceX], won't decommission Dragon.' Even billionaire investor Bill Ackman urged both to 'make peace for the benefit of our great country,' to which Musk said, 'you're not wrong.' According to Politico, White House aides plan a call with Musk today to de-escalate the situation. Tesla stock lost nearly all its gains in May on investor optimism about Musk stepping down from the White House role to focus on his business ventures. In one of his tweets, Musk even suggested creating a new political party that would represent '80% in the middle.' Even Mark Cuban endorsed the idea in a tweet. While Cuban and Musk have sparred on various subjects, including DEI and Trump, the billionaires appear to have found some common ground. The Shark Tank star's view on a new political party might not come as a surprise, as he had previously highlighted his dismay with both political parties. Disclaimer: Our digital media content is for informational purposes only and not investment advice. Please conduct your own analysis or seek professional advice before investing. Remember, investments are subject to market risks and past performance doesn't indicate future returns. Originally published on IBTimes UK Elon musk Tesla Donald trump Trump
Int'l Business Times
3 hours ago
- Int'l Business Times
Pam Bondi Pressured Lawyers to 'Violate Ethical Obligations' to Help Further Trump's Agenda, Complaint Claims
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi allegedly pressured Department of Justice lawyers to compromise their ethics to serve President Donald Trump's political goals, according to a new complaint filed with the Florida Bar. Bondi has been praised by conservatives for her loyalty to Trump's second-term agenda. But critics say she has politicized the Justice Department and undermined its independence. The controversy centers around Bondi's February 5 memo, which the complaint alleged that she urged DOJ staff to engage in "zealous advocacy" for Trump's policies, the Miami Herald reported. In response, a bipartisan coalition of about 70 legal professionals, including former Florida Supreme Court justices, filed an ethics complaint alleging Bondi misused her authority. The complaint alleged Bondi "sought to compel Department of Justice lawyers to violate their ethical obligations" or face discipline if they did not "zealously pursue the President's political objectives." It details three key incidents: the firing of an immigration attorney who opposed the wrongful deportation of a Maryland man, the resignation of a prosecutor who refused to launch a baseless investigation into a Biden-era EPA contract, and the dismissal of senior prosecutors who resisted dropping corruption charges against New York Mayor Eric Adams. In each case, the complaint alleges that Bondi and her deputies coerced legal staff into putting Trump's political interests ahead of legal integrity. Justice Department officials dismissed the complaint as a partisan attack. A spokesperson for Bondi called it "vexatious" and accused the signatories of lacking credibility. Meanwhile, the Florida Bar has not commented on whether it will launch a formal investigation. Originally published on Latin Times Donald trump Department of justice Florida
