States led by Democrats have been pushing back against President Donald Trump’s policies, filing lawsuits challenging everything from his federal funding freezes to attempts to withhold aid to schools with diversity, equity and inclusion programs. 

California has been leading the charge on many of these issues, filing 16 lawsuits in just over 100 days.

“We bring lawsuits when we think we’re going to win,” Attorney General Robert Bonta, D-Calif., said at a press conference last month, where he and Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., announced they were filing suit against President Trump’s tariff policies.

Newsom said he believed the tariffs would not only hurt California, but states nationwide.

“There’s no more — I think — assertive state in our union in standing up for the state of this union, than the state of California,” Newsom told reporters.

Newsom and the state of California have been preparing for months to take the Trump administration to court as it deems necessary. Before Trump was even sworn into office, the state assembly approved $25 million to provide the California Department of Justice with additional funds to challenge the administration’s policies.

Experts said they expect California to continue leading the charge in court.

“California, by virtue of political will, people, power and resources, is in a better position to fight the Trump administration than virtually any other state,” said Jessica Levinson, a professor at the Loyola Law School.

During the first Trump administration, the state of California sued the president over 120 times. Over the last four years, Texas, led by Republicans, essentially did the same to President Joe Biden, a Democrat. The Lone Star State sued the Biden administration over 100 times and spent a reported $6.1 million to do so.

It’s a predictable pattern, according to Casey Burgat, a professor at the George Washington University. 

“The really simple answer is that which state is the antithesis to the president in power right now for and especially on an issue that party wants to, to raise the public profile on. So with the Biden administration, obviously, he was very vulnerable on the border. What’s our biggest border vulnerability state? Texas — makes sense,” explained Burgat. “What’s the antithesis to Trump? California. We see him attack the state. We see him attack the policies pursued there, how it’s gone to hell, in his words. So obviously California is the one that wants to be the challenge to the Trump administration on a lot of the issues.”

One challenge that could come into California’s political calculus when pushing back against the Trump administration? Wildfire relief funding — though Levinson believes state leaders will still strongly pursue the administration in court.

“I think that, frankly, leaders are also cognizant of the fact that we will need federal funding for assistance. But I don’t think that California will just kind of throw up its hands and say, that’s that,” she predicted. “California has money, California has the will, California has the resources — California will be fighting the Trump administration.”