A bipartisan coalition of former state attorneys general filed an amicus brief today urging a federal court to dismiss the criminal prosecution of New York Attorney General Letitia James, calling it “an unprecedented and dangerous assault on state sovereignty, constitutional federalism, and the rule of law.”

The former attorneys general argue that the federal government has broken “deeply entrenched prosecutorial norms” by targeting a state attorney general in retaliation for lawful enforcement actions taken on behalf of her state. Democracy Defenders Fund, Perry Law LLC and the Brennan Center for Justice, serve as co-counsel for the amici. This amicus brief comes after 22 sitting attorneys general issued a statement in support of Attorney General James.

State attorneys general, the new amicus brief notes, are entrusted with protecting residents, policing corporate fraud, and pursuing consumer protection actions without fear of federal retaliation. They emphasize Attorney General James was simply doing her job when she prosecuted the Trump Organization for fraud. The amici argue that the federal case against her is driven by personal animus and political retribution, pointing to years of public threats by Trump, the administration’s dismissal of career prosecutors who refused to pursue meritless charges, and Trump’s installation of a politically loyal prosecutor to secure an indictment.

“This case crosses a line no administration has crossed before,” said Norm Eisen, co-counsel for the amici and executive chair of Democracy Defenders Fund. “It turns the idea of justice on its head and abuses the power of the White House to settle political scores. If the federal government can retaliate against a state attorney general for simply doing her job, every state’s independence is at risk. The court must step in to protect the rule of law.”

Read the amicus brief HERE

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Democracy Defenders Fund brings together a nonpartisan team to work with national, state, and local allies across the country to defend in real-time the foundations of our democracy.