Even In The Trump Era, Texas Leaders Are Still Suing The Feds

Since 2008, the state has sued the Obama and Trump administrations 60 times.

By Jill AmentFebruary 9, 2018 10:42 am,

For top Texas lawmakers, suing the federal government has been a bit of a shtick over the past several years. Since 2008, the state has sued the feds 60 times, according to the Dallas Morning News. The Obama administration bore the brunt of litigation from former Texas attorney general, now governor, Greg Abbott and current Attorney General Ken Paxton. Dallas Morning News reporter Lauren McGaughy writes the Trump era hasn’t made the state any less litigious, though.

“If you ask conservatives who have an expertise in the law, they’ll say ‘it makes sense that we’re suing just as much, because we now know that we have a much better chance of winning,'” McGaughy says.

In the last year, McGaughy says, Texas has filed eight lawsuits against the federal government.

“We’ve seen a number of wins from Texas, because the Trump administration has just decided to quit fighting,” McGaughy says. In practice, that has meant that the administration drops a policy to which Texas objects, making it necessary to proceed with the suit.

The 60 suits Texas filed against the feds since 2008 have cost the state $8 million. In the past year, suing Trump has cost more than $600,000. The costliest fights have involved voter ID and redistricting. Those suits are ongoing.

Written by Shelly Brisbin.