When a vast coalition of progressives challenged the Trump administration’s major executive actions eight years ago, the office of San Francisco’s city attorney stood out among the crowd for punching far above its weight. It was the first to sue Donald Trump over his withdrawal of federal funds from sanctuary cities, ultimately winning the case on appeal.
This time around, City Attorney David Chiu is bracing for a flood of Day One executive orders — many of which he plans to immediately challenge in court. He’s even tasked one of his deputies to lead the effort: Mollie Lee, a former American Civil Liberties Union lawyer who was senior counsel for the Kamala Harris campaign.
“All of us are gearing up for what we anticipate will be an attack on our cities and counties,” he told NOTUS in an interview Friday. “Offices like mine will react as quickly as we need to.”