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Politics and Government News
Dana Ferguson

Minnesota attorney general on Trump: ‘If he violates the rights of people, we’re going to sue’

People speak during a large rally outside.
Attorney General Keith Ellison commits to protecting the rights of out-of-state residents who travel to Minnesota to seek abortion care during a march and protest at the Minnesota State Capitol on July 17, 2022.
Tim Evans for MPR News

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Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said he’ll sue if President-elect Trump and a Republican-controlled Congress try to circumvent Minnesota law.

The legal threat puts Ellison and other Democratic attorneys general in a familiar position as Trump is preparing to start his second term in January.

During Trump’s first term, Ellison signed onto several lawsuits pushing back on Republican policy changes in Washington — including immigrant access to government health programs, environmental reviews standards and health care discrimination. Ellison said he’s now worried Trump will target immigrants and people of color when the president-elect takes office in January. Ellison also wants to safeguard Minnesota’s laws related to abortion and gender care. 

“I didn’t run for Attorney General’s office twice so that I could sue Trump. That’s not what I am here for,” Ellison told reporters after an unrelated press conference on Tuesday. “But if he violates the rights of people, we’re going to sue. It’s as simple as that. He should know that we’ve done it before. We’ll do it again.”

Ellison said he hopes Trump and Congressional Republicans would avoid writing policies that override state laws since some Republicans have argued in the past that abortion policy should be up to the states.

“There won’t be a moment where we’re not standing strong, helping the people of this state enjoy the rights that they deserve,” he said.

Ellison’s comments come a week after Gov. Tim Walz told supporters that he’s ready to “stand up and fight” if the Trump Administration brings a “hateful agenda” to the state. Walz made the comments during his first state appearance after Trump defeated Vice President Kamala Harris and Walz in the presidential election. 

Walz and Ellison will also have a smaller group of Democrats to work with in the Minnesota Legislature next year. DFLers maintained their one-vote hold on the Senate but stood to enter the House tied with Republicans. Minnesota House leaders are currently negotiating a power sharing agreement after neither party won the majority in the last election.