ABC10 Quotes Professor Johnson on State's Financial Ability to Challenge Trump

Professor Kevin R. Johnson spoke to Sacramento’s ABC10 news for a Nov. 22 report on whether California can afford to challenge moves made by the new Donald J. Trump presidential administration.

As the story notes, Gov. Gavin Newsom called a special Dec. 2 legislative session aimed at allocating funds to the state Department of Justice to support filing lawsuits against the Trump administration. According to a governor’s office press release, the session will “focus on bolstering California legal resources to protect civil rights, reproductive freedom, climate action, and immigrant families.”

California now faces serious budget issues not present when the state reportedly spent $41 million fighting Trump administration policies during his last term.

But Johnson pointed out to ABC10 that the DOJ already employs about 1,000 attorneys.  “I am not necessarily very worried about the attorney general’s office being able to staff this or the costs of it,” he said.

Kevin R. Johnson is a distinguished professor of law, Mabie-Apallas Professor of Public Interest Law, and Martin Luther King Jr. Professor of Law. Johnson also has an appointment as professor of Chicana/o studies at UC Davis. He served as dean of UC Davis Law from 2008 to 2024. Johnson is an internationally recognized scholar in the fields of immigration law and policy, refugee law, and civil rights.