Understand the Power That Our State Attorneys General Have
While Member of Congress influence is important, in a Republican-controlled Congress, we cannot forget the power of state officials. And state attorneys general (AGs) are at the top of that list. In the Obama Administration, Republican AGs made suing the administration a ritual, and it worked. As the Texas’ AG glibly said in 2013:
“I go into the office, I sue the federal government and I go home.”
Abbott sued the Obama administration 27 times--and the Bush Administration just 3. And he wasn’t alone, check out this chart which shows the spike in litigation by State AGs against the Obama Administration. (Image and data data via Professor Paul Nolette)