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Democratic attorneys general mount fight against Trump travel ban

Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson speaks at a news conference about the state's response to President Trump's revised travel ban Thursday, March 9, 2017, in Seattle. Legal challenges against Trump's revised travel ban mounted Thursday as Washington state said it would renew its request to block the executive order. It came a day after Hawaii launched its own lawsuit, and Ferguson said both Oregon and New York had asked to join his state's legal action. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson speaks at a news conference about the state's response to President Trump's revised travel ban Thursday, March 9, 2017, in Seattle. Legal challenges against Trump's revised travel ban mounted Thursday as Washington state said it would renew its request to block the executive order. It came a day after Hawaii launched its own lawsuit, and Ferguson said both Oregon and New York had asked to join his state's legal action. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson) Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson speaks at a news conference about the state's response to President Trump's revised travel ban Thursday, March 9, 2017, in Seattle. Legal challenges against Trump's revised travel ban mounted Thursday as Washington state said it would renew its request to block the executive order. It came a day after Hawaii launched its own lawsuit, and Ferguson said both Oregon and New York had asked to join his state's legal action. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

By Associated Press 3 min read

SEATTLE (AP) – In stepping up legal challenges to President Donald Trump’s revised travel ban, Democratic attorneys general are trying to use the court system to thwart the executive branch in the same way their GOP counterparts did under President Barack Obama.

Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson said Thursday he was asking a federal judge to find that his order last month halting the old travel ban applies to the new one, too.

Ferguson’s action came a day after Hawaii launched its own lawsuit. Washington, Minnesota, Oregon, New York and Massachusetts planned to file a new complaint challenging the revised travel ban Monday.

“My message to President Trump is: Not so fast,” Ferguson said.

Ferguson and his fellow Democratic attorneys general are now doing what Republicans did when Obama was in office – filing lawsuits to block policies. Republican attorneys general took Obama to court over a variety of issues, most notably his health care legislation.