For almost a year, Democratic Attorney General – senior law enforcement officials in 22 states, plus Washington – were currently planning. They have now been put at the forefront of resistance to the re -elected President Donald Trump.

Attorney Generals began organizing their strategy in March at a meeting in New York. They and their executives closely watched every Trump speech at each gathering and every post on social media. And they put a special weight on the radical manifesto of Project 2025 formed by conservative teams, led by the Heritage Foundation.

With the Democrats excluded from power in Washington, and the intermediate elections nearly two years away, any obstacles that Trump face In the near future they should come from the judiciary. That is why, from the President’s swearing -in, the Attorney General are making daily Zoom calls to evaluate where and how they should come forward. Last week, more than twelve met for several days at a hotel in Hollywood. Among their meetings, which were behind closed doors, WP journalist Karen Tumulti spoke with some and asked how the battles were going and what was going on.

Democratic Attorney General are not new to this situation. They acted collectively – and effectively – during Trump’s chaotic first term. The courts have managed, among other things, the ban on entering people from seven Muslim countries in the United States and the separation of immigrant families at the border. But the Trump 2.0 is a greater challenge. He returned to the office with clearer plans, less internal obstacles than his environment and more determination to restrain the restrictions.

Attorney Generals are selectively acting, they say, filed lawsuits where they believe they have the highest chance of success and where they can demonstrate how harmful Trump’s actions are in their states. In some cases, such as Trump’s crucial call to resign federal officials, Attorney Generals decided that it was better to take the initiative of those who were more directly affected.

Their approach is working – so far. Since Trump’s swearing -in four weeks ago, Attorney Generals scored a series of victories in courtrooms, starting with the questioning of his executive decree that prevents nationality in children illegally in the United States. A federal judge who issued a restrictive decree in the case characterized Trump’s directive “Blatant unconstitutional”.

Since then, Attorney Generals have persuaded the courts to temporarily block the freezing of government spending on programs for which Congress had disbursed money, cuts in funding of the National Institutes of Health in 22 states and access to by billionaire ileon masc and its supporters In the personal and financial data of millions of Americans kept in the Ministry of Finance.

But the road from now on is more difficult, because the cases in which they have made preliminary decisions must now reach the Supreme Courts. As commented by Illinois Cuami Raul’s Attorney General: “The courts have supported our efforts, but whether they will continue to adhere to it remains to be seen.”

This will be clearer when the first of these cases – most likely, those concerning the long doctrine that the 14th amendment established citizenship through birth – reaches the Supreme Court, whose conservative majority includes three appointed judges by Trump. “At some point, soon, the Supreme Court of the United States will be tested,” said Arizona Attorney General Chris Magies. “Does the United States Supreme Court believe in the distinction of powers? Believes the Supreme Court of United States In the rule of law and our democracy? “

The role of the Attorney General, most of whom are elected, has evolved dramatically in recent decades. Traditionally, they had low profiles, and their concerns were local – for example, handling consumer complaints or providing legal guidance to government agencies. But as the political polarization of the country is deepened by the executive and legislative power in Washington have proven less capable of resolving the differences between them, the Attorney General have become critical ‘national players’.

The tactic now followed by Democratic Attorney General is the one that was first developed by their Republican counterparts during Obama’s term.

In 2013, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott said in a sake that on a typical business day, “I enter the office, I sue the federal government and return home.” Abbott is today ruler.

Trump made moves that the Democratic Attorney General, despite their planning and strategy, did not expect – mainly giving the Musk free, a private individual who is neither elected by voters nor his armor was confirmed by the US Senate, to overthrow the Functions of at least 15 federal services.

“Who could predict that this billionaire, the richest man in the world, comes out of nowhere and takes the blessing of the president to enter our institutions and invade people’s privacy?” Asked by Dellawuer Katie Jennings’ prosecutor. On Thursday, 14 of the Attorney Generals filed a lawsuit claiming that ‘Almost uncontrollable power’ that Trump gave to Musk is unconstitutional.

Amidst all this, Trump’s percentages were relatively “healthy”, with 53 percent approved his performance and 70 percent saying he was doing what he promised during his campaign in a recent research CBS News-Yougov.

But many Attorney Generals said they are frustrated by voters of all political sites for some of the early government’s early actions – especially for reports that Musk’s Doge officials may gain access to their personal data.

Democratic Attorney General have adopted a noticeably more aggressive attitude Against the President in relation to the Democratic rulers, most of whom are trying to maintain as much as they can for a functional working relationship with the new administration. In Michigan, for example, Governor Gretsen Whitmer said he would look for ways to find “common ground in some things” with Trump.

‘We are independent elected officials’, Michigan’s prosecutor Dana Nessel was clear on Thursday at a press conference, where he and two other Attorney Generals announced the lawsuit to restrict Musk. “I’m not telling the ruler what to do in her job. It doesn’t tell me what to do in my job. “

Several Attorney Generals are highly called what is happening now “Constitutional crisis”. Attorney General Chris Magies of Arizona reaches the point of characterizing it A “coup” that approaches the “dictatorship”. But others are more measured. ‘We accept pressure, but we are resistant’, said Rob Bonda from California.

Where everything changes, he and others agree, is if Trump follows the proposals of some people in his government, including Vice President Jay Di Vance, to defy the judicial orders. Musk has even asked ‘An immediate wave of referrals’ of judges who will stand in the way of Trump. And while the courts can impose sanctions on those who defy their orders with fines and imprisonment, no one can be sure that the Trump Ministry of Justice will impose them.

So what’s going on? ‘We haven’t arrived there’; Katie Jennings noticed. Not yet, at least. But we may be much closer to that moment than many have believed that was ever possible.