'We refuse to turn back the clock and allow our values and laws to be attacked,' Gov. Newsom said
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Blue state Gov. Gavin Newsom said Thursday he is calling an emergency special session to bolster the state's legal response to any future attacks from the incoming Trump administration.
The special session will focus on safeguarding "civil rights, reproductive freedom, climate action, and immigrant families," Newsom's office said in a press release.
"California is ready to fight," Newsom said on X. "Whether it be our fundamental civil rights, reproductive freedom, or climate action – we refuse to turn back the clock and allow our values and laws to be attacked."
His action comes just a day after Newsom said he "will seek to work with the incoming president."
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California Gov. Gavin Newsom and President-elect Trump (Getty | AP)
The special session will convene on Monday, Dec. 2.
Newsom is urging his state legislature to earmark more funds for the California Department of Justice and other state agencies with additional resources to mount legal challenges.
"The funding will support the ability to immediately file litigation and seek injunctive relief against unlawful federal actions," Newsom's office said.
During Trump's first term, Newsom launched lawsuits against the federal government more than 100 times.
"We learned a lot about former President Trump in his first term – he’s petty, vindictive, and will do what it takes to get his way no matter how dangerous the policy may be," Mike McGuire, Democratic state Senate president pro tempore, said in a statement.
Gov. Gavin Newsom scheduled an emergency special session in California. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
"California has come too far and accomplished too much to simply surrender and accept his dystopian vision for America. This is why we’re moving with speed and investing in our legal defense."
Meanwhile, Republican Brian Jones, state Senate minority leader, said the special session "is clearly just another political stunt," and a "desperate attempt to distract from Democrats’ significant losses across California on Tuesday – in the state Senate, state Assembly, U.S. House, and on key ballot measures, including Prop 5’s defeat and Prop 36’s overwhelming win."
"Californians have made it clear: affordability is their top concern," Jones said. "Yet, even with the massive deficit he created, Gov. Newsom wants to hand his attorney general a blank check to wage endless battles against the federal government – while our own state is on fire, both literally and metaphorically."
California, a sanctuary state for illegal immigrants, abortions and transgender transition treatments for children, could be targeted by the Trump administration, especially considering Trump's mass deportation plan of illegal immigrants.
Newsom, leader of the progressive blueprint of the country, isn't the only Democrat who is preparing to Trump-proof their states ahead of his inauguration.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James, who've spent years prosecuting and disparaging Trump, vowed to fight back against any potential "revenge or retribution" that may be coming their way now that he will be returning to the White House.
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Former President Trump talks to reporters as he sits in a garbage truck in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on Oct. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Hochul offered congratulations to Trump during a press conference on Wednesday while also commending his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris and running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, for a "hard-fought campaign that really lifted up so many issues that matter to Americans."
"I want to be very clear that while we honor the results of this election and will work with anyone who wants to be a partner in achieving the goals of our administration in our state, that does not mean we'll accept an agenda from Washington that strips away the rights that New Yorkers have long enjoyed," Hochul said Wednesday.
Fox News Digital's Greg Wehner contributed to this report.
Jamie Joseph is a writer who covers politics. She leads Fox News Digital coverage of the Senate.
