Democratic AGs are using the courts to win on abortion, gun control
The Democratic effort, shaped by previous opposition to the Trump administration, is creating what amounts to a series of state sanctuaries for those threatened by Republican laws. It also reflects a sense among the Democratic state attorneys general that a divided Congress is too deadlocked to pass any significant social policy legislation or impose civil rights protections.
“During the Trump administration we saw a lot of attacks on rights, and we are now continuing that battle,” said Geoff Burgan, communications director for the Democratic Attorneys General Association. “But Congress is a dead end, and working together against red states is being done directly and proven much more effective.”
The Democratic effort has taken on fresh urgency from recent federal court rulings, most notably the Supreme Court’s decision last year to end the federal right to abortion, and laws enacted by Republican governors and state legislators that Democrats view as extreme.
Last week, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (R) signed a bill that virtually outlaws abortion. Recently, Florida lawmakers passed legislation allowing concealed handguns to be carried without a specific permit to do so and a ban on abortion after six weeks of pregnancy. In Montana, the governor recently signed a bill banning transgender care for minors.
Much of the Democratic resistance is coming from the West, where some states have passed measures similar to those being considered now. California lawmakers, for example, have approved strict gun laws, and the voters last year also enshrined the right to abortion in the state constitution. But the Democratic attorneys general are coordinating in ways they have not done previously.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2023/04/30/democrat-attorneys-general-abortion-guns/
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