Event Announcement: Attorney General Charity Clark will host a Town Hall on Tuesday, March 18 at 5:30 PM in Montpelier. More information is available here. For those unable to attend in-person, the event will be livestreamed by ORCA Media here.
Lawsuits Filed by Attorney General Clark Against the Trump Administration
|
Date Filed
|
Case Information |
Subject of Lawsuit |
Current Status
|
|
03/13/2025 |
Lawsuit against the Trump Administration to stop the dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education. See press release. | ||
| 03/06/2025 | Lawsuit filed against numerous federal agencies for conducting illegal mass layoffs of federal probationary employees. See press release. |
03/13/2025: A federal judge issued a temporary restraining order for 18 federal agencies, ordering the Trump Administration to stop the illegal mass layoffs of federal probationary employees and to reinstate fired employees by 1:00 pm on Monday, March 17, 2025. See press release. 03/12/2025: A hearing for a temporary restraining order occurred in federal court. The States await the court's order. |
|
| 02/13/2025 | Lawsuit challenging the unlawful delegation of executive power to Elon Musk. See press release. |
02/18/2025: A federal judge declined to issue a temporary restraining order because of the lack of imminent irreparable harm to Plaintiff States. The case will now proceed to expedited discovery where the States will seek information regarding DOGE’s current operations and future plans. The States then plan to file a motion for a preliminary injunction shortly thereafter. See order. |
|
|
02/10/2025 |
Lawsuit against the Trump Administration and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for unlawfully cutting funds that support cutting-edge medical and public health research at universities and research institutions across the country. See press release. |
03/05/2025: A preliminary injunction was granted by a federal judge, stopping the Trump Administration and NIH from cutting research funding while the lawsuit proceeds. See order. 02/10/2025: A federal judge issued a temporary restraining order against the National Institute of Health (NIH), barring its attempt to unilaterally cut billions in funding. The temporary restraining order stops the NIH from taking any steps to implement or enforce their attempted across-the-board reduction in research grants. A hearing has been scheduled for February 21, 2025. See press release. |
|
|
02/07/2025 |
Lawsuit against the Trump Administration for illegally providing Elon Musk and the “Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)” unauthorized access to the Treasury Department’s central payment system. See press release. |
02/21/2025: A preliminary injunction was granted by a federal judge, blocking access to Treasury Department systems by DOGE while the lawsuit proceeds. See order. 02/08/2025: A federal judge granted a temporary restraining order which blocked Elon Musk and DOGE from accessing Treasury Department records. The court’s order also directs the DOGE team to “immediately destroy any and all copies of material downloaded from the Treasury Department’s records and systems, if any.” A hearing on the preliminary injunction has been set for February 14, 2025. See press release. |
|
|
01/28/2025 |
Legal challenge of the Trump Administration’s Office of Management & Budget’s order, or “OMB memo,” freezing federal grants and loans. See press release. |
03/06/2025: A preliminary injunction was granted, stopping the Trump Administration from pausing billions of federal assistance funding to the states that sued. 02/28/2025: Plaintiff states filed a second motion to enforce in their ongoing lawsuit. See motion. 02/13/2025: Plaintiff states filed an amended complaint which broadens the scope of the lawsuit to include additional defendant agencies and further refines the legal theory of the case. See amended complaint. 02/08/2025: The court granted the states’ motion for enforcement, ordering the administration to immediately comply with the TRO and stop freezing federal funds. 02/07/2025: Plaintiff states filed a motion to enforce and a motion for preliminary injunction against the Trump Administration for allegedly failing to comply with court order to unfreeze federal funding. See press release. 01/31/2025: A federal judge granted a temporary restraining order in the lawsuit filed. The temporary restraining order prohibits the Trump Administration from imposing a blanket freeze on federal funding. This temporary restraining order is valid until the Court rules on a motion for preliminary injunction. See press release. |
|
|
01/21/2025 |
Legal challenge of Trump Administration executive order unconstitutionally limiting birthright citizenship for children of certain classes or immigrant families. See press release. |
03/13/2025: The Trump Administration has asked the Supreme Court to stay the lower court's preliminary injunction while an appeal proceeds. See stay application. 02/13/2025: A preliminary injunction was granted by a federal judge. See press release. 02/11/2025: There was a preliminary injunction hearing on February 7, 2025. The Court has yet to make a ruling. [Note: Three other courts have already enjoined the order.]
|
Amicus Briefs Filed by Attorney General Clark
|
Date Filed |
Case Information |
Topic |
Summary of Brief |
| 03/12/2025 | Perkins Coie LLP v. U.S. Department of Justice, No. 1:25-cv-00716, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia | Rule of Law |
Brief supporting a lawsuit brought by Perkins Coie, the Seattle law firm targeted by President Trump for representing clients and taking positions disfavored by the president. President Trump's executive order "Addressing Risks from Perkins Coie LLP," is the subject of the lawsuit. See press release. |
|
03/12/2025 |
Wilcox v. Trump, No. 1:25-cv-00334, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia | Labor |
Brief supporting the continued opposition to President Trump's unlawful attempt to remove Gwynne Wilcox, a member of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). On March 6, 2025, a federal judge ruled in Wilcox v. Trump, that President Trump's attempt to fire Wilcox was illegal and ordered that she remain on the board. The Trump administration has asked for a stay to stop the ruling from going into effect while it seeks an appeal, effectively allowing her firing to take effect. The brief urges the court to deny the administration's request for a stay, arguing that if allowed to stand, the attempt to dismiss Wilcox would undermine protections for workers and destabilize federal law. See brief. |
|
03/07/2025 |
National TPS Alliance v. Noem, No. 3:25-cv-01766, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California | Immigration |
Brief supporting a challenge to the early termination of the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation for Venezuela by the Trump Administration. The brief requests that the court prevent this order from going into effect, arguing that the termination of Venezuelan TPS is unlawful and will result in irreparable harm to families, states’ economies, workforces, and will raise healthcare costs, pose substantial risks to public health, and create challenges for jurisdictions across the country in enforcing their criminal codes and protecting public safety. See brief. |
|
02/28/2025 |
Wilcox v. Trump, No. 1:25-cv-00334, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia |
Labor |
Brief supporting Gwynne Wilcox, a member of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in her lawsuit against President Trump. Brief argues that the unlawful dismissal of the board member undermines the functioning of the NLRB and the enforcement of labor laws across America. See brief. |
|
02/26/2025 |
Shilling v. Trump, No. 25-cv-00241, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington |
Transgender Rights |
Brief supporting case brought by current and prospective members of the military who are transgender challenging the Trump Administration’s Executive Order banning transgender people from military service. See brief. |
|
02/21/2025 |
National Treasury Employees Union v. Russell Vought, No. 25-cv-00381, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia |
Consumer Protection |
Brief supporting plaintiffs' request for a preliminary injunction to stop the Trump Administration from dismantling the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). See brief. |
|
2/20/2025
|
PFLAG, Inc. v. Trump, No. BAH-25-337, U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland |
Transgender Rights |
Brief supporting legal challenge to President Trump’s Executive Order interfering with access to gender-affirming care for minors. See press release. |
|
02/19/2025 |
Mayor & City Council of Baltimore v. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau; No. 25-cv-00458, U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland |
Consumer Protection |
Brief supporting plaintiffs' request for a preliminary injunction to stop the Trump Administration from dismantling the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). See press release. |
|
02/18/2025 |
Pacito v. Trump, No. 2:25-cv-255, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington at Seattle |
Immigration |
Brief supporting efforts to overturn President Trump's unlawful refugee ban. See press release. |
|
02/14/2025 |
Talbott v. Trump, No. 25-cv-240, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia |
Transgender Rights |
Brief led by Attorney General Clark supporting a lawsuit brought by current and prospective members of the military who are transgender challenging the Trump Administration’s Executive Order banning transgender people from military service. See press release. |
|
02/9/2025 |
American Federation of Gov't Employees v. Ezell, No. 1:25-cv-10276, U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts |
Labor |
Brief supporting federal employees unions' challenge to the Trump Administration’s federal “buyout” plan. The so-called “Fork in the Road” directive attempted to force federal workers to choose, with only days to decide, between accepting a legally fraught “buyout” and potentially being terminated. See press release. |
Statements, Letters, and Guidance Issued By Attorney General Clark
|
Date Issued |
Topic |
Statements, Letters, and Guidance |
|
03/17/2025 |
Transgender Rights |
Multi-state comment letter to the U.S. Department of State opposing proposed changes to the passport application process that would prevent transgender individuals from obtaining a passport that matches their gender identity. See letter. |
| 03/05/2025 | DEI |
Multi-state guidance to help K-12 schools, colleges, and universities understand the legality, viability and importance of diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility policies and practices in education in response to concerns following a Trump Administration executive order and the U.S. Department of Education’s “Dear Colleague” letter. See guidance. |
|
02/18/2025 |
Environment |
Multi-state letter to the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources urging full consideration and support for S.J. Res. 10, which would terminate the national energy emergency declared by the Trump Administration’s Executive Order. See letter. |
|
02/14/2025 |
Judicial Review |
Joint statement signed by 10 attorneys general regarding Vice President Vance’s comments on judicial review made on February 9, 2025. See statement. |
|
02/13/2025 |
DEI |
Multi-state guidance to help businesses, nonprofits, and other organizations understand the viability and importance of diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility policies and practices in creating and maintaining legally compliant and thriving workplaces. See guidance. |
|
02/07/2025 |
Op-ed |
“I Took Action to Uphold the Rule of Law and Protect Vermont,” by Attorney General Clark. See op-ed. |
|
01/23/2025 |
Immigration |
Joint statement signed by 13 attorneys general addressing a memorandum from a Trump political appointee at the U.S. Department of Justice addressing state and local involvement in federal immigration enforcement. See statement. |
Page last updated: March 17, 2025