Oregon Attorney General Rayfield on Lawsuits Against the Trump Administration

Presented by City Club of Portland, with support from AARP Oregon, Fight Against Sex Trafficking, Miller Nash and Tonkon Torp.City Club is a member-led and member-supported 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Join or donate at pdxcityclub.org to support the spaces where community and leadership meet.On July 25, 2025, City Club of Portland hosted Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield for a conversation with retired Chief Justice Thomas Balmer, reflecting on his first months in office and his role leading Oregon’s lawsuits against federal actions. The discussion covered cases involving tariffs, birthright citizenship, and cuts to federally funded programs, as well as how the state decides when to act and what tools are in place to hold the federal government accountable. They addressed some technical legal questions, but also covered fundamentals like the role of each branch of government and how democracy is supposed to work.