Attorney General Bonta Defeats Trump Administration’s Effort to Dismiss States’ Lawsuit over Unlawful Elections Executive Order

OAKLAND — California Attorney General Rob Bonta today issued a statement on the decision by the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts to deny the Trump Administration’s motion to dismiss in State of California v. Donald Trump. On April 3, 2025, Attorney General Bonta co-led a coalition of 19 attorneys general in filing a lawsuit against the Trump Administration over Executive Order No. 14248 (Executive Order), an unconstitutional, antidemocratic, and un-American attempt to impose sweeping voting restrictions. On June 13, 2025, the coalition secured a preliminary injunction blocking unlawful provisions of the Executive Order. The preliminary injunction remains in effect following today’s decision. 

“I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Donald Trump is not king. He cannot unilaterally impose voting restrictions across the country — that’s why my fellow attorneys general and I took him to court earlier this year,” said Attorney General Bonta. “I’m pleased that the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts has now emphatically rejected the Trump Administration’s effort to dismiss our lawsuit. We continue to believe in the strength of our case and remain as committed as ever to protecting the right to vote.” 

A copy of the decision can be found here.