OLYMPIA—In his first year as Washington Attorney General, Nick Brown filed 52 lawsuits in 52 weeks against the Trump Administration and positioned the office as a defender of state interests against federal overreach and the “elements of fascism,” he said opening his press conference on Tuesday, January 20, recapping an annual report published on January 16, to give the public a transparent look at the office’s work to protect Washingtonians and provide legal advice to the state in that time.
“We are one year into the Trump administration, and we are facing a President who has shown, over, and over, and over again that he has no respect for the rule of law,” said Brown Tuesday. “No resect for congress, no respect for judges, frankly no respect to anyone who disagrees with him and doesn’t bend to his will. He rules, quite often, by anger, hate even, and petty grievances and really at the end of the day has demonstrated a real lack of humanity for the people he serves.”
The annual report provided a thorough look at the AG office’s work, from the high-profile cases against the Trump administration to the state cases Brown has led against scam artists, predators, and other criminals, as well as providing legal advice that helps state agencies better serve the public and achieve their missions.
Highlights of the report covered the AG Office’s consistent “ethical legal advice” to the state of Washington, which helps state entities serve the public and follow the law, the report states.
Brown’s Office also took measures against the Trump administration from “illegally robbing Washingtonians of more than $15 billion in federal funding appropriated by Congress,” the report continues. These funds were allocated to keep funding schools, keep students fed, continue to keep health care accessible to Washington’s most vulnerable residents, a roof over the head of those transitioning from homelessness, and funding to protect against terrorism and environmental disasters.
“These Unamerican actions do not represent the nation well and America should demand better of their President,” said Brown. “In this Washington, it’s important that we set an example of a government that represents its people and sometimes that means pushing back to defend our state.”
The report also highlights advancements made in public safety, with the AG’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and People Cold Case Units solving a nearly decade-old murder case and securing its first conviction.
The office also supported law enforcement by taking on more than 70 criminal cases referred by local prosecutors and supported the Community Justice Training Commission in rolling out millions in grant funding to local law enforcement and first responders.
“We’ve also protected what it means to be a citizen in the United States of America. We’ve saved public health programs, including Washington’s mobile health clinics that take free services into health care deserts. Federally funded programs for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault will continue, not because of what the administration did but because what we did to oppose their proposed cuts,” said Brown.
The report continues to highlight a commitment to keep fighting for Washington workers. Last year the AG’s office investigated and, when needed, litigated, when businesses took advantage of workers, the report states.
Some examples of these include Brown’s office winning settlements for farmworkers from businesses that “abused the visa system at the expense of qualified local labor” and filed other complaints to defend workers’ rights that are still pending.
Brown’s office also stood up for consumers and renters, the report continues.
His office protected consumers against “government imposters, deceptive advertising, predatory lending practices, privacy violations, pyramid schemes, and data breaches”. The AG’s office went after the root causes of the housing affordability crisis like monopolies and exploitative algorithms and secured refunds for renters who were overcharged.
And lastly, the report highlights the support AG Brown, and his team, showed last year for youth-centered crises response with its HearMeWA responding to hundreds of contacts from young people experiencing stress, anxiety, violent threats, sexual abuse, and more.
The office also helped military personnel and veterans get volunteer legal help and launched the state’s first hate crimes and bias hotline to connect victims to services.
“The people of this office care deeply about the impacts on Washingtonians from what we’re seeing in Washington D.C. Our mission was also made possible by the many, many, Washingtonians who are willing to share their stories in court to defend the work that we’re doing against the administration,” said Brown. “But everything I’m sharing is just a small part of the overall work of this office. A small part of the nearly 2,000 employees who show up and work hard on behalf of their state…my team’s greatest tool is the rule of law.”
Brown said last year also made progress in restoring government trust and committing to transparency, with the Public Records and Open Government Unit and new improvements to the Model Public Rules Act working closely with transparency advocates in Washington State.
This legislative session, Brown shared that his team introduced bills that would protect children from addictive online algorithms, protections against scammers, and help workers be prepared in the event ICE comes to their businesses. But that’s just the start of 2026, Brown added, suspecting this year will require his team to affirm, and redouble efforts going forward.
Author: Kienan Briscoe
