FILE – In this Oct. 10, 2018, file photo, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra discusses various issues during an interview with The Associated Press, in Sacramento, Calif. Becerra said he took the attorney general’s job to protect what he expected to be an onslaught against many of the issues he championed as a 12-term Democratic congressman. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — California Attorney General Xavier Becerra has taken on the Trump administration in nearly a 100 briefs and other legal actions, including 45 lawsuits. Among his most significant victories was a 2018 ruling that blocked the White House’s decision to end an Obama-era program that protected hundreds of thousands of young immigrants from deportation.
Here are some other key lawsuits his office has filed and where they stand:
IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN
Becerra sued then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions in August 2017 over new requirements on a law enforcement grant. Sessions said cities and states going forward could receive Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance grants only if they allowed federal immigration officials to access detention facilities and provided notice when someone in the country illegally was about to be released. A judge in October permanently blocked those requirements. The administration has appealed.
BORDER WALL
Becerra sued the administration in September 2017 to stop construction of President Donald Trump’s planned border wall with Mexico. A judge sided with Trump in February, rejecting California’s argument that the administration overreached by waiving laws requiring environmental and other reviews before construction could begin. Becerra has appealed.
BIRTH CONTROL
Becerra sued the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in October 2017 over rules that allowed more employers to opt out of providing women with no-cost birth control. A judge blocked the rules, and an appeals court in December upheld that decision. The administration has revised the rules, prompting another, ongoing court battle.
FUEL EFFICIENCY
California and 16 other states sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in May over its plan to scrap fuel efficiency standards that would have required vehicles by 2025 to achieve 36 miles per gallon (58 kilometers per gallon), about 10 miles (16 kilometers) over the existing standards. The Trump proposal would freeze standards at 2020 levels when vehicles will be required to hit an average of 30 miles per gallon (48 kilometers per gallon). The case is pending before a U.S. appeals court in Washington, D.C.
FAMILY SEPARATIONS
California and other states sued Trump in June over the administration’s policy of separating migrant families at the Mexico border. The case is before U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw in San Diego.
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