Rule of Law Speaker Series: San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu on Federalism and the Rule of Law

Why It Matters

The escalating federal‑state clash forces cities to become legal frontlines, shaping how public services and constitutional rights are defended nationwide.

Key Takeaways

• Trump administration aggressively attacks state and local policy autonomy.
• San Francisco filed fourteen lawsuits in first year of Trump II.
• Federal funding tied to anti‑immigrant, anti‑LGBTQ, climate conditions.
• City relies on 10th Amendment and spending‑clause challenges.
• Cooperative federalism eroding, forcing municipalities to protect rule of law.

Summary

David Chiu, San Francisco City Attorney, used the Rule of Law Speaker Series to warn that the Trump administration has turned federalism into a battlefield, repeatedly challenging state and local authority through litigation and funding conditions.

He recounted the Reproductive Fact Act’s defeat in the Ninth Circuit, the surge to fourteen lawsuits in the first year of the second Trump term, and the three litigation categories: immigration defenses, conditional federal funding, and protection of public‑goods programs such as climate, education and health.

Chiu quoted the administration’s own language of “muzzle velocity” to describe its relentless attacks, highlighted San Francisco’s distinction as the first city to sue Trump the day after his inauguration, and noted a 4‑5 Supreme Court split that overturned the state’s reproductive‑rights law, with over $4 billion in federal dollars at stake.

The address underscores that municipalities must now treat litigation as a core function, lean on the 10th Amendment and spending‑clause jurisprudence, and prepare for future administrations that may further erode cooperative federalism, making local defense of the rule of law essential for protecting public services and civil rights.

Original Description

In the current challenging environment for the rule of law in the United States, state and local governments have emerged as powerful forces pushing for accountability from the federal government to the law and the people. San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu’s office has filed multiple lawsuits against the Trump administration across a range of issues, including immigration policy and birthright citizenship, threats to federal funding, and federal agency reorganization. Please join the Neukom Center in welcoming David Chiu to campus to speak on the role of American federalism in upholding the rule of law.