California Gov. Gavin Newsom called for a special legislative session next month to bolster funding for legal fights to combat President-elect Donald Trump's agenda.
The special session, scheduled to begin Dec. 2, will focus on shoring up the state's defenses against an incoming federal administration that has "threatened the state on several fronts," including reproductive rights, climate change and immigration, the governor's office on Thursday said.
"The freedoms we hold dear in California are under attack — and we won't sit idle," Newsom, a Democrat, said in a statement. "California has faced this challenge before, and we know how to respond. We are prepared to fight in the courts, and we will do everything necessary to ensure Californians have the support and resources they need to thrive."
Newsom, a critic of the Republican president-elect and a staunch supporter of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, said on X that although the election outcome was not one "we wanted, our fight for freedom and opportunity endures."
"@KamalaHarris set out to fight to defend our fundamental freedoms and build a country that works for everyone. She stood up for working families, decency, and opportunity," he said.
"California will seek to work with the incoming president - but let there be no mistake, we intend to stand with states across our nation to defend our Constitution and uphold the rule of law," the governor of the most populous state in the US said.
"Federalism is the cornerstone of our democracy. It's the United STATES of America," he continued.
During the previous Trump administration, California sued more than 100 times on issues ranging from gun control to immigration.
