Here is what happened last week for DAGA and our Democratic Attorneys General:

TWEET TWEET

To mark the end of Sexual Assault Awareness Month (#SAAM), DAGA teamed up with Emerge America and UltraViolet for a Twitter Town Hall to highlight the work Democratic AGs and other leading law enforcement officials do to support survivors and prevent sexual assault on college campuses and elsewhere. Massachusetts AG Maura Healey, Michigan AG Dana Nessel and Democratic candidate for AG in Mississippi, Jennifer Riley-Collins and other leaders around the country joined the conversation. ICYMI, check out the recap here!

DEM AGS HIT THE THREE

On Monday, in another BIG win for women’s healthcare and reproductive rights, a federal judge in Oregon issued a nationwide preliminary injunction on the Trump administration’s proposed “gag rule” that would strip family planning funding for healthcare clinics across the country and limit doctors’ free speech. The judge called the proposed rule a “ham-fisted approach to public health policy.” Shout out to DAGA co-chair Oregon AG Ellen Rosenblum for leading the 21 Dem AGs coalition! Oregon’s injunction is the third injunction won by Democratic AGs, including a nationwide injunction in Washington State and a preliminary injunction won in California last Friday.

SPOTLIGHT: TRUMP’S POWERFUL NEW RIVAL

As the state Attorney General of President Trump’s home state, New York AG Tish James promised in November that she would be “shining a bright light into every dark corner of [Trump’s] real estate dealings, and every dealing, demanding truthfulness at every turn.” Since taking office, AG James has taken the following major actions on behalf of the people of New York:

• Bringing oral arguments before the Supreme Court of the United States against the Trump administration regarding the proposed citizenship question on the 2020 questionnaire;
• Investigating the shady financing behind some of Trump’s questionable business projects; and
• Scrutinizing the tax-exempt status of the National Rifle Association, who has been a close ally and reliable fundraiser for President Trump

Check out this this article in The Hill all of the ways in which AG James is holding the Trump administration accountable and upholding the rule of law! (Keep an eye out for a quote from DAGA Co-Chair District of Columbia AG Racine.)

A CHECK UP ON THE HEALTH CARE CASE

This week, the Trump administration submitted a brief to the 5th Circuit Federal Court of Appeals arguing that the Affordable Care Act must be struck down in its entirety. Republican AGs are currently leading the GOP effort in court to gut healthcare for an estimated 21 million Americans, including critical protections for people with pre-existing conditions. A coalition of Democratic AGs led by California AG Xavier Becerra are defending the landmark healthcare law in court from the GOP attack.  During a call with reporters back in December, Democratic Attorneys General called the judge’s decision “flimsy,” “legally flawed,” “breathtaking” and “ludicrous.” You can read more about the Trump administration’s effort and the response by Democratic AGs like AG Becerra in this New York Times article.

T(OP)-ED: WAGE THEFT

“If American workers are a ship trying to sail forward in ever rougher seas, wage theft is a dragging anchor holding them back.” Whether it’s having hours shaved, not getting paid overtime, or getting paid at a lower rate than promised, Minnesota AG Keith Ellison is making a push to stop all forms of wage theft by promoting an anti-wage theft bill and opening a new office within the Minnesota DOJ to monitor the issue. Check out AG Ellison’s full op-ed in Workday Minnesota!

DC OAG STAFFER SELECTED BY OBAMA FOUNDATION

Seema Gajwani, a prosecutor who leads the Restorative Justice and Victim Services Section at the District of Columbia DOJ, was selected to serve as a fellow at the Obama Foundation. The Obama Foundation fellowship is awarded to those who are “confronting many of the world’s most pressing problems through civic engagement.” Criminal justice reform an office priority for DAGA Co-Chair District of Columbia AG Karl Racine . Learn more about the Obama Foundation Fellowship in the Washingtonian article linked here.