More than a thousand people gathered in North Saint Paul Thursday night to hear Minnesota's Attorney General Keith Ellison and four other attorneys general to state their case against the Trump administration. All four attorneys general were Democrats.
The group is leading the legal fight against the administration challenging cuts to medical research and refugee aid.
"The lawsuits that we are filing really are not about partisanship. They're about the rule of law," says Ellison.
Ellison was joined by the attorneys general from New York, Arizona, Illinois, and New Jersey.
The White House was critical of the group, saying in a statement that "radical, out-of-touch Democrats should clean up disasters they've created in their own states."
"The stakes for so many people in this room are deeply, deeply personal," Arizona attorney general Kris Mayes said. "This isn't just a policy debate. It's about your livelihoods, your families, and our nation's future."
This group of four are the core of 23 AG's that have filed suits concerning federal job cuts, refugee aid, and transgender rights.
All four of the attorneys general are from states that have sued the Trump administration over federal firings contending they illegally fired thousands of federal probationary workers.
The mass firings will cause irreparable burdens and expenses on the states, the lawsuit said, because states will have to support recently unemployed workers and review and adjudicate claims of unemployment assistance.
The lawsuit also contended that the layoffs will hurt state finances due to lost tax revenue.