California Attorney General Rob Bonta, alongside the attorneys general of Massachusetts and Washington, led a coalition of 20 state attorneys general in filing a multistate amicus brief in Stanford Daily Publishing Corporation v. Rubio in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. In the brief, the attorneys general support The Stanford Daily — an independent student-run newspaper at Stanford University — in its lawsuit against the Trump Administration over its targeting and punishment of noncitizens with lawful status, especially college students and faculty who express political beliefs with which the Administration disagrees.

“Colleges and universities are meant to be places of learning, growth, and robust civic discourse. Our international students strengthen these institutions of higher education, acting as our neighbors, friends, and pillars of our communities,” said Attorney General Bonta. “The Trump Administration has implemented policies that marginalize and penalize these lawful students for expressing political beliefs that the President disagrees with. It’s chilling — and unconstitutional. California will not allow students to be silenced, and we will continue to stand up for the First Amendment right to express your beliefs.”