New Jersey’s Trump-Era Court Challenges Reach About 75

State challenges span several policy areas

New Jersey has filed or joined about 75 court challenges against the Trump administration since President Donald Trump returned to the White House in 2025. The litigation concerns immigration, federal funding, elections, tariffs, health care, environmental regulations and major infrastructure projects.

Roughly 45 to 46 cases began under Gov. Phil Murphy and Attorney General Matt Platkin. About 29 more followed after Gov. Mikie Sherrill took office and Jennifer Davenport became attorney general.

The total is approximate because amended complaints and related actions may be counted differently. The transition between attorneys general also affects how some cases are assigned to each administration.

The challenges have addressed federal funding freezes, changes to federal programs, birthright citizenship, voting rules, health insurance, law-enforcement grants, driver information, student loans, family-planning money and immigration benefits.

Federal officials have also gone to court

The legal conflict runs in both directions. The Justice Department has sued New Jersey over state policies, while federal officials have pursued appeals in litigation involving the state.

In February, the department sued New Jersey and Sherrill over Executive Order 12. The order limits federal immigration officers’ access to certain nonpublic areas of state property and restricts the use of state facilities as staging areas for civil immigration enforcement.

Attorney General Pamela Bondi argued that New Jersey could not interfere with federal immigration operations. A judge dismissed the federal lawsuit on Sept. 4. Davenport said the ruling confirmed that the state may control access to its nonpublic property.