ATTORNEY GENERAL RAOUL HIGHLIGHTS ACTIONS TAKEN OVER THE LAST YEAR TO PROTECT CRITICAL PROGRAMS, ILLINOIS RESIDENTS’ CIVIL RIGHTS FROM TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S ATTACKS

ATTORNEY GENERAL RAOUL HIGHLIGHTS ACTIONS TAKEN OVER THE LAST YEAR TO PROTECT CRITICAL PROGRAMS, ILLINOIS RESIDENTS' CIVIL RIGHTS FROM TRUMP ADMINISTRATION'S ATTACKS

January 20, 2026

Raoul's Office Filed Over 50 Lawsuits Since Jan. 20, 2025 to Challenge Unlawful Federal Policies

Chicago - Attorney General Kwame Raoul today announced that since President Donald J. Trump took office on January 20, 2025, lawsuits filed by Raoul's office have protected approximately $6.6 billion in federal funding for the state of Illinois and critical programs and services that support individuals, families and organizations across the state. In the past year, Raoul's office has filed more than 50 lawsuits defending the rule of law and the civil rights of all Illinoisans, which have been under attack by the Trump administration.

"At the core of every action my office has taken, we are fighting to protect the rule of law. This is not an abstract concept; it is the principle that laws are applied in a consistent and predictable manner. The rule of law ensures that the Constitution's bedrock principles of separation of powers, state sovereignty, democratic accountability, due process and equal protection under the law can be relied upon," Raoul said. "My team has been working around the clock every day of the week to protect over $6.6 billion, as well as fundamental rights that cannot be quantified in dollars and cents. I commend my talented and hard-working staff for the countless hours they have worked defending our Constitution and preserving vital programs for our residents."

The over 50 lawsuits Raoul's office has filed in the last year cover a range of issues from protecting birthright citizenship and preserving funding for cancer and Alzheimer's research to stopping the deployment of the National Guard in Illinois. With multiple lawsuits in different stages of litigation and the continued onslaught of threats from the federal government, the office's pace is expected to carry on into 2026.

Defending the Rule of Law

Attorney General Raoul's first action against the Trump administration in 2025 was also a personal one. The proud son of Haitian immigrants, Raoul, along with Attorneys General from across the country, did not hesitate to file a lawsuit the day after the 2025 presidential inauguration to protect birthright citizenship, which dates back centuries to pre-Civil War America. Raoul argued the president's attempt to end birthright citizenship violated the Constitution, and the courts have agreed.

In late 2025, Attorney General Raoul opposed the president's efforts to federalize and deploy the Illinois and Texas National Guards in Illinois, over state leaders' strong objections. Raoul's office immediately filed suit in October 2025 to stop the unlawful action, stating Congress has sole authority to decide what factual circumstances allow a president to federalize the National Guard. Raoul argued no emergency requiring a militarized response existed anywhere in Illinois. In addition, the Posse Comitatus Act prohibits members of the military from engaging in civilian law enforcement activities.

In December 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed with Raoul, recognizing that deployment of the military to "execute the laws" is "exceptional," and held that the federal government "has failed to identify a source of authority that would allow the military to execute the laws in Illinois."

Along with defending, and winning, on the issues of birthright citizenship and National Guard federalization, in order to protect the rule of law, Raoul is also actively fighting to protect the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) from a shut down and to stop the president from imposing a 10% tariff on all countries.

Additionally, Raoul and his staff have:

• Stopped unconstitutional voter registration requirements, which could have disenfranchised more than 66,000 Illinois voters.
• Protected homelessness prevention programs and statewide library services.
• Protected public health programs like infectious disease laboratories and workplace safety research.

Defending Civil Rights and Immigrant Communities

In the face of the Trump administration's repeated threats to critical funding and programs in an attempt to coerce Illinois and other states to enforce federal civil immigration law, Raoul has successfully opposed those efforts. For example, he has protected organizations, agencies, and grant funding under the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) from illegal conditions intended to force the state to comply with the administration's sweeping immigration enforcement policies. Without intervention by Raoul's office, crime victims and survivors would have lost access to critical resources.

Most recently, Raoul has challenged the dangerous and unlawful tactics of Customs and Border Protection (CPB) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents whose violent and unlawful tactics are yet another attempt to punish and coerce Illinois into adopting the administration's immigration policies. The lawsuit notes that, for decades, federal immigration agents have enforced immigration laws in Chicago without significant interruption to public order and safety. Since being deployed to Illinois in September, CPB and ICE agents have killed one Illinois resident, shot another, and conducted a military raid on a Chicago apartment building, detaining all its residents, including children. Agents have arrested hundreds without warrants, randomly questioned hundreds more, and unleashed chemical weapons upon law-abiding, peaceful residents. The lawsuit documents numerous examples of such unlawful tactics being used to terrorize the people of Illinois.

Protecting Federal Funding

Since the Trump administration's first day of its second term, Raoul has protected over $6.6 billion of funding to Illinois from threats across multiple federal agencies. While many of these cases are still being litigated, Raoul's office has preserved billions of dollars that provide Illinoisans with access to health care, childcare, lifesaving medical research, mental health programs and sex education in public schools, and crime victim compensation.

Raoul and his office have also protected services provided by over 600 Illinois AmeriCorps members who serve students, veterans and individuals experiencing homelessness. Additionally, Raoul, himself a cancer survivor, prevented the National Institute of Health from unlawfully cutting $70 million in scientific research funding from Illinois' public universities. That funding is used for research focused on serious illnesses such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease and cancer.

Most recently, Raoul and his colleagues stopped the administration's illegal attempt to freeze $1 billion in federal funding for programs that serve over 150,000 children in Illinois who receive childcare supported by these funds. The funding is also used to provide temporary cash assistance to families in need and fund programs that help families achieve or maintain economic self-sufficiency, and that address neglect, abuse or exploitation of children and vulnerable adults.

Protecting Federal Benefits

Along with federal funding, Attorney General Raoul has also preserved federal benefits for Illinois residents. Since July 2025, Raoul has filed three separate lawsuits defending the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). He protected the personal data of 1.9 million SNAP recipients in Illinois, challenged and temporarily blocked the suspension of the program's funding just before the holidays, and he is actively fighting erroneous guidance that would strip SNAP benefits from immigrants with lawful status.

Safeguarding Health and Safety

While the health and safety of Illinois residents been a priority for Raoul since taking office in 2019, he has taken action to protect Illinoisans from the Trump administration's regular threats and unlawful orders. For instance, in July 2025, his office defended the Affordable Care Act by suing to stop changes that could create significant barriers to obtaining health care coverage and increase health insurance premiums for more than 14,000 Illinois residents.

Through additional litigation, Raoul and his staff fought to protect:

• Disaster mitigation projects protecting Illinois residents.
• Planned Parenthood Centers' essential health care services such as cancer screenings, breast exams, contraceptives, and STI testing and treatment.
• Health care providers from civil and criminal charges for providing gender-affirming care to transgender youth.
• Illinois communities from devices that turn semi-automatic weapons into machine guns.

Protecting Equal Access to Education

Among other federal agencies the Trump administration has attempted to dismantle is the U.S. Department of Education. Since March 2025, Raoul has fought to protect the department's workforce, grant money for teacher shortages, academic services, mental health programming and the Public Service Loan forgiveness program. Illinois is home to 866 K-12 school districts comprised of 3,835 schools that serve over 1.85 million students.

Protecting the Environment

On President Trump's first day in office, the administration also launched its attack on the environment. Through litigation, Raoul has protected renewable wind energy projects and the development of Illinois' electric vehicle charging infrastructure. Both legal successes will ensure Illinois remains a renewable energy leader while staying on track to meet the state's clean energy goal of 1 million electric cars on the road by 2030.

Additionally, Raoul continues to oppose attacks on Illinois' clean-energy projects and the Clean Water Act, which protects Illinois waterways, wetlands, critical habitats and endangered species. Raoul and a multistate coalition also issued guidance that affirmed the necessity and legality of environmental justice initiatives.

The Way Forward

Raoul said the actions he and his staff have taken this past year are just the start of his office's commitment to defending the rights of all Illinois communities and residents.

"When I took my oath to serve as Illinois' Attorney General, I swore to uphold and defend the United States and Illinois Constitutions; however, I could never have envisioned defending the rule of law and our state's sovereignty against constant attacks by the United States government," Raoul said. "I will not hesitate or shy away from protecting our state - even from our own federal government. Our work has just begun, and we are undeterred in our commitment to fighting, advocating and believing our justice system will protect the rule of law and the legal rights of Illinois residents."