California Attorney General Rob Bonta told a Clinton Global Initiative audience Sept. 22 that state attorneys general have a critical role in checking federal overreach and safeguarding constitutional limits on executive power.
Bonta, the first Filipino American to serve as California attorney general, spoke during the CGI Conversations session, “The Long Case: Litigating for Lasting Change,” at the New York Hilton Midtown.
The panel explored how litigation can be used alongside organizing and advocacy to pursue social change. Scott Curran, founder and CEO of Beyond Advisers, moderated the conversation.
Other participants included Dr. Georges C. Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association; Amy Bowers Cordalis, co-founder and executive director of the Ridges to Riffles Indigenous Conservation Group; Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward; and Joseph Rodriguez, a board member of the John D. Evans Foundation.
Bonta said the country’s constitutional system divides authority among the executive, legislative and judicial branches while reserving significant powers to the states.
“Now is an important moment to assert that power,” Bonta said, arguing that state legal officers must challenge federal actions they believe go beyond constitutional or statutory authority.
He said a coalition of Democratic attorneys general had filed 93 lawsuits in 87 weeks against actions by the Trump administration. Bonta characterized the cases as responses to unlawful federal overreach. The administration has defended its policies as lawful exercises of executive authority.
Bonta cited cases involving federal funds for California, birthright citizenship, voting access, tariffs and the deployment of the National Guard. He said the litigation had protected more than $200 billion in federal funding for California. The ultimate effect of individual cases, however, may change as litigation continues through the courts.
“The number of cases that we bring is a full function of the decision to break the law or not by the federal administration,” Bonta said. “If you break the law and hurt our states, we will sue you. If you don’t, we won’t.”
Bonta, who was sworn in as California’s 34th attorney general in 2021, oversees the California Department of Justice. He was born in Quezon City, Philippines, and moved with his family to California as an infant. The department’s work includes public safety, consumer protection, housing, civil rights and environmental enforcement.
The Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting runs Sept. 22-23 and brings together leaders in government, business, philanthropy and civil society. The 2026 meeting is organized around the theme, “How Do We Get It Right?” and includes discussions of responsible AI, climate resilience, democracy, humanitarian aid, health equity, information integrity and women’s equality.
CGI’s annual meetings center on Commitments to Action, described by the organization as specific and measurable projects or partnerships addressing global challenges. Since 2005, CGI says its community has launched more than 4,300 commitments through more than 13,000 organizations, reaching more than 500 million people in 180 countries.
