AG Tong released the following joint statement signed by 17 state attorneys general regarding Vice President Vance’s comments on judicial review made on February 9, 2025.

“The Vice President’s statement is as wrong as it is reckless. As chief law enforcement officers representing the people of 17 states, we unequivocally reject the Vice President’s attempt to spread this dangerous lie. Judges do not ‘control’ executive power. Judges stop the unlawful and unconstitutional exercise of power. As Chief Justice Marshall said in Marbury v. Madison over 200 years ago, ours is ‘a government of laws, and not of men,’ and that ‘it is emphatically the province and duty of the judicial department to say what the law is.’ For those who value the original intent of the founders and our legal traditions, nothing is more firmly rooted in our legal history, tradition, and the original intent of the founders than the power of judges to stop the executive from breaking the law […] Judges granted our motions and issued restraining orders to protect the American people, democracy, and the rule of law. That is and has always been their job. That job is the very core of our legal system. And in this critical moment, we will stand our ground to defend it.”