By Aaron Allen, The Seattle Medium
Last week, Washington State Attorney General and Governor-elect Bob Ferguson, along with Attorney General-elect Nick Brown provided an update on preparations by the state to deal with a second Trump Administration, as they vowed to take on the administration if it overreaches on abortion rights, mass deportations or a host of other issues.
“A message I just really have for Washingtonians is we’re not just waking up yesterday thinking ‘Oh my gosh there’s a new Trump administration coming in,’” Ferguson said. “There has been a lot of work for many, many months from my team to prepare for this.”
Ferguson described Project 2025, which Trump tried to distance himself from during his presidential campaign, as “an assault on reproductive rights, health care access, environmental protections” and other state priorities. He also raised concerns about Trump’s statements regarding the use of military force against political adversaries, referring to them as “deeply un-American.”
“My office’s attorneys have been preparing for months for the possibility of a Trump win. They’ve gone line-by-line through “Project 2025,” the 900-page policy outlining sweeping changes sought by Trump-affiliated conservatives,” Ferguson said.
Washington’s legal team has a track record of challenging the Trump administration. During Trump’s first term, Ferguson’s office filed nearly 100 lawsuits, including a high-profile case blocking the 2017 travel ban on several Muslim-majority countries. The attorney general’s office was largely successful in these suits, an experience Ferguson says will serve them well if similar challenges arise.
But Ferguson also warned that this time around, the Trump administration could be more disciplined and organized, with the support of a more conservative majority on the U.S. Supreme Court.
“They’ll evaluate whatever comes from the Trump White House and will only file legal challenges if they believe they have a strong legal case — not merely because they disagree with a policy,” says Brown
During the first Trump administration, Gov. Jay Inslee and the president had an adversarial relationship, as Trump reportedly blocked disaster aid to the state after the 2020 wildfire that destroyed the town of Malden out of his grudge against the governor.
“The president has a lot of power. That’s the way our system works. That’s appropriate,” Ferguson said. “I pray that the things we’re talking about don’t come to pass,” he said. “If this team never has to file a single lawsuit against the Trump administration, no one will be happier than me.”
