Borrowing GOP Playbook, Dem States Sue Government and Rack Up Wins

"During the administration of President Barack Obama, attorneys general from Republican states developed a powerful tool: They teamed up dozens of times to sue the federal government to block environmental initiatives.

Now, Democrats are using the same playbook to fight the Trump administration.

Blue-state attorneys general have filed more than two dozen environmental lawsuits against the Trump administration since January 2017, and the victories are piling up. This month, a court said the Environmental Protection Agency had broken the law by delaying smog protections. In February, states forced the Department of Energy to enact efficiency standards for household appliances. And in two different decisions in the past year, courts thwarted the administration’s attempts to delay regulations on emissions by the oil and gas industry."

Lisa Friedman and John Schwartz report for the New York Times March 21, 2018.