President Donald Trump's chief legal opponent to his policies is New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, according to Politico Magazine.
Schneiderman, a former N.Y. state senator, is a leading figure in the Democratic Attorneys General Association. The New York Attorney General's office has a history of national activism, and as such Schneiderman is often the focal point of their organization.
"We are the backstop," said Alvin Bragg, Schneiderman's chief deputy attorney general, to Politico. "The system is set up in a certain way, that if the federal government doesn't do certain things, we have to step up and push back. If they leave things wide open, we have to step into the void."
According to Politico's profile of him, the New York lawyer offered advice and guidance to sanctuary cities after Trump's election, anticipating the upcoming immigration fight. At a town hall in midtown Manhattan not long after the election, Schneiderman said Trump's victory must spur his opponents into action.
"We are facing a crisis, not over conservative or liberal, but a crisis over whether or not the rule of law is respected or not, over whether the Constitution is respected or not, and whether the central American notion of equal justice under the law and that everyone be treated with dignity and equality and fairness — all that is at issue now," he said, according to Politico.
After Trump's executive order banning immigrants from certain predominantly Muslim countries, Schneiderman announced that he and other attorneys were experiencing an "awakening," and would stand up to the president.
"This is a president who does not have respect for the rule of the law," Schneiderman told reporters on Tuesday, according to ABC News. "That's something that bothers a lot of people."
On Thursday, Schneiderman's office released a statement announcing a lawsuit against Trump's order.
"Our proposed complaint describes how President Trump's executive order is not only unconstitutional and fundamentally un-American, but also how it does profound harm to our families, our economy, and our educational and health care institutions," Schneiderman said.
"President Trump's intent to discriminate against Muslims is clear. We will continue to use every tool at our disposal to fight this discriminatory ban and protect all those caught in the crossfire of its chaotic implementation."
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