Statements from five states’ top legal officers follow ACLU promise to defend against Trump’s “one-man constitutional crisis”

By Andrea Germanos, staff writer for Common Dreams. Published 11-18-2016

Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey speaking at an event in February. (Photo: Jennifer Cogswell via City Year/flickr/cc)

As members of vulnerable communities and their allies gear up for threats the upcoming Donald Trump administration and Republican-controlled Congress could unleash, the top legal officers in at least five states are also preparing, announcing they are ready to be “the first line of defense” to block any constitutional violations.

Reuters reports that the statements come from the state attorneys general in Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Virginia, and Washington. They are all Democrats.

Massachusetts AG Maura Healey, for example, said in a statement that “[i]f the incoming administration chooses to try to act in ways that are unconstitutional, my office will take action to protect the rights and liberties of our residents and our state.” Continue reading →