Attorney General Charity Clark, alongside 18 other state attorneys general, has filed a lawsuit against President Trump and his administration, including U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and the federal Election Assistance Commission. The lawsuit challenges Executive Order No. 14248, labeled as the Elections Executive Order, which the coalition contends is an unconstitutional attempt to impose voting restrictions nationwide.
The executive order seeks to enlist State election officials in enforcing citizenship proof requirements and seeks to alter existing State procedures for counting ballots. Attorney General Clark criticized the order, stating, "I am deeply troubled by this naked attempt to disenfranchise voters, particularly married women, low-income and elderly voters, and active-duty military members." She further described the order as an unnecessary measure since illegal, non-citizen voter fraud is nearly non-existent.
The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, asserting that the President lacks the authority to change State election laws unilaterally or to modify rules set by Congress. The power to regulate elections is, according to the coalition, reserved for the States and Congress, making the elections executive order an overreach of presidential powers and a violation of the separation of powers.
Joined by attorneys general from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin, Attorney General Clark seeks to block the enforcement of the executive order's provisions.
Attorney General Clark, having initiated eight legal actions against the Trump administration since January, continues to advocate on behalf of Vermonters, as detailed on the website ago.vermont.gov/ago-actions.