Protecting the “rule of law” is what called me to run for my first elected office—to be your Attorney General—and what continues to drive me and my team today. Our promise is to protect all Coloradans, with a core mission of advancing the rule of law. Why? Because when it comes to preserving our democratic republic, the rule of law is everything.
To protect the rule of law, and to prevent arbitrary and unfair government action, the U.S. Constitution requires that the government must follow “due process of law.” That means the government must treat everyone fairly and legally.
On the day President Trump took office, he attempted to override the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees the right of citizenship to any child born on American soil. This unlawful act threatened to harm Americans whose citizenship depends on this constitutional right.
With other State Attorneys General, I went to court to stop this order from taking effect. And we won. In ruling against President Trump, a federal judge (appointed by Ronald Reagan) called it the most unconstitutional action he had seen in 40 years as a judge.
Last week, because the rule of law means everything, I went on national media to advocate for it. I explained our “birthright citizenship” case, and our second case to block the federal government’s illegal action to cancel federal spending also by executive fiat. This action is unconstitutional, and it is heartless.
After this spending was blocked by the President, essential services were cut off—hospitals couldn’t pay for their patient’s care; Meals on Wheels couldn’t deliver food to older Americans; low income families would lose daycare for their kids through Head Start; police and sheriffs couldn’t receive critical public safety funds; farmers were cut off from USDA funds. And that’s just the start—hundreds, if not thousands, of programs were paused—imposing very real harm to people’s daily lives. This act was unlawful, unwarranted, and cruel. Here is that interview:
Last week, I filed a third lawsuit against the Trump Administration for yet another unlawful act—this time to block Elon Musk and those working with the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, from accessing federal government databases and Coloradans’ private personal data—Social Security numbers, bank information, and more.I publicly explained our decision to bring this third case here. Once again, a federal judge ruled that our claims were particularly strong and barred DOGE from accessing this information.
We will work with the federal government whenever possible on issues that matter to Coloradans—protecting consumers and addressing our affordability challenges, improving public safety, protecting our land, air, and water, and addressing the opioid and youth mental health crises.We will also never back down from a fight based on defending people and constitutional principles. When the federal government flouts the law and harms Coloradans, we have a solemn duty to defend our state and our values. We will fight back. You can count on that—no matter who is in the White House.
Thank you for your support. We must and will stand together.
