California Attorney General Rob Bonta says 82 lawsuits filed against the Trump administration have protected an estimated $207 billion in federal funding for the state since Trump took office in January 2025, according to a report released Tuesday. The litigation has defended education, childcare, food assistance, public safety, transportation, clean energy, and other vital programs Californians rely on.
Bonta’s office has filed the 82 lawsuits in just over 18 months, leading or co-leading 55 of them. Beyond the state-led cases, Bonta’s office has also filed more than 120 amicus briefs supporting other litigation against the Trump administration and submitted 112 comment letters responding to federal actions.
The effort has yielded significant courtroom wins. Bonta’s office has secured 45 orders granting early relief, 21 final orders in California’s favor, and in eight additional cases, the Trump administration backed down before the case reached trial. The office claims an 83 percent win rate on court orders issued in cases brought directly by the state.
The lawsuits have targeted a wide range of federal actions. Bonta co-led a multistate coalition that secured a U.S. Supreme Court victory affirming the constitutional right to birthright citizenship in June 2026, blocking an executive order that would have ended birthright citizenship for children born in the United States to undocumented or temporary-status parents. He also blocked multiple Trump executive orders attempting to interfere with California’s elections and secured court orders preventing the federalization and deployment of California National Guard troops to Los Angeles and Portland.
On funding specifically, Bonta protected approximately $4.9 billion in education funding when the Trump administration twice threatened to withhold all federal education dollars to California. He secured an estimated $7.7 billion in transportation funding by blocking the imposition of immigration enforcement conditions on those grants. He also protected around $5 billion in childcare and family assistance funding, roughly $8.7 billion in U.S. Department of Agriculture grants for school lunches and nutrition assistance, and up to $1.1 billion in emergency preparedness funding.
California has spent close to $30 million on this litigation overall since Trump took office, according to Bonta. The state received a special $25 million litigation fund through a 2025 special session of the state legislature to support such work. As of late July 2026, Bonta’s office had received $19.2 million of that special session funding. The office also receives regular appropriations in the state budget—$14.2 million last fiscal year and $23.9 million this fiscal year—to support federal accountability work.
State lawmakers and leaders have characterized the investment as worthwhile. California Speaker of the Assembly Robert Rivas said the $25 million litigation fund “may be one of the smartest investments that this Legislature has ever made.” Senate Pro Tempore Monique Limón emphasized that California has “long set the precedent of what it means to defend civil liberties on a state and federal level.”
The litigation represents a broader trend of state attorneys general becoming more collaborative and litigious in fighting federal actions. During Trump’s first administration from 2017 to 2021, state attorneys general sued the federal government a record 138 times—nearly double the number of lawsuits filed against the administrations of Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush combined. California alone filed over 120 lawsuits during that period and spent approximately $42 million on such litigation. As of late July 2026, 68 multistate lawsuits had been filed against the second Trump administration across all states.
Bonta’s litigation strategy has also faced criticism. The White House responded to Tuesday’s announcement by stating that instead of “bragging about filing frivolous lawsuits,” Bonta should focus on addressing problems within California, citing what it called criminal activity by undocumented immigrants. Republican candidates running against Bonta and other Democratic officials have argued for a more collaborative approach with the Trump administration rather than continued litigation.
Sources
- California Attorney General’s Office — official press release detailing 82 lawsuits, $207 billion in protected funding, court orders won, and specific funding amounts protected across education, transportation, emergency preparedness, and other programs
- Los Angeles Times — reporting on Bonta’s announcement, state spending of $30 million, the $25 million special session fund, win rate statistics, and context on multistate litigation trends
- ABC10 News — coverage of the 82 lawsuits and $207 billion figure, noting the state’s spending on litigation
- Law360 — confirmation of the 82 lawsuits and $207 billion in protected funding
