* It’s only Wednesday, but it’s already been a busy week for Attorney General Kwame Raoul. Monday…

Attorney General Kwame Raoul, as part of a bipartisan coalition of 24 attorneys general and two governors, today announced a lawsuit over the Trump administration’s unlawful implementation of new Medicaid work requirements included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

Raoul and the coalition’s lawsuit challenges provisions of a rule issued June 1 by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The states are responsible for determining whether applicants qualify for Medicaid, including whether applicants have satisfied the work requirement or qualify for an exception to that requirement. […]

The lawsuit explains that Congress created exemptions from Medicaid’s work requirements to ensure people with serious illnesses and disabilities – people who Congress called “medically frail” – do not lose coverage or face interruptions in care. However, CMS’ new rule changes the definition of “medically frail,” imposing extra requirements: Under the new rule, even people diagnosed with serious medical conditions like cancer or quadriplegia would have to prove their condition makes them too sick to work. If they can’t find the right paperwork or otherwise prove their case, the new rule would take away their healthcare coverage.

CMS told the states for months that they could rely on Congress’ definition of “medically frail” in the law, and Illinois and other states spent significant money and time updating their systems and training their staff based on that guidance. When CMS issued the new rule on June 1, changing the definition of “medically frail,” the states were blindsided. Now the states must comply with a legal requirement to tell Medicaid recipients by Aug. 31 how they can comply with the work requirement or qualify for the “medically frail” exception or other exceptions. For that reason, Raoul and the attorneys general have moved quickly to seek a court order blocking CMS’ unlawful rule.

* Tuesday…

Attorney General Kwame Raoul and a coalition of 18 other attorneys general and the governors of Kentucky and Pennsylvania won their case challenging the Trump administration’s illegal conditions on billions of dollars in funding that community organizations across the country rely on to provide housing and services for families and individuals experiencing homelessness.

In November 2025, Attorney General Raoul joined the coalition in filing a lawsuit against the Trump administration to protect more than $3 billion in Continuum of Care grant funds that were jeopardized by illegal new conditions imposed by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). These funds support vital resources for those most at risk of homelessness, such as veterans and individuals with chronic health conditions and disabilities. The U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island on Monday granted critical parts of the coalition’s motion for summary judgment, ruling that HUD’s conditions restricting Continuum of Care funding are unlawful and cannot be implemented.

“Instead of supporting Americans experiencing homelessness, the administration instead attempted to cut off critical funding for services and programs that ensure our most vulnerable Illinois residents have stable housing,” Raoul said. “I am pleased with the court’s ruling, and I will continue to stand with my colleagues to protect the rule of law in Illinois and across the country.”

* Today…

Attorney General Kwame Raoul and a coalition of 21 other attorneys general won their case challenging a new rule from the U.S. Department of Education that unlawfully restricted eligibility for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program, which allows government and nonprofit employees to have their federal student loans forgiven after 10 years of qualifying public service.

The U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts granted Raoul and the coalition’s motion for summary judgment on Tuesday, declaring the rule illegal and permanently blocking it from taking effect.

“The president’s attempt to punish states he disagrees with politically is illegal, and I am pleased with the court’s decision that upholds the rule of law,” Raoul said. “I will continue to stand with my fellow attorneys general to protect nurses, teachers, first responders and all Americans who choose to devote their lives to public service.”

* More press releases out of Raoul’s office this week…

* Press release | AG Raoul opposes Trump administration’s proposals to roll back regulations on toxic coal ash: In their comment letter submitted today to the EPA, Raoul and a coalition of attorneys general call on the agency to preserve strong national standards that protect human health and the environment. The coalition notes that state regulations on coal ash are not uniform, and some states with coal ash ponds or landfills near their borders have weaker regulations, potentially threatening the waters of neighboring states. They warn that the proposed rule change ignores the environmental risk posed by massive quantities of coal ash and leaves states with the administrative burden of filling the gaps left by federal rules that get rescinded.

* Press release | AG Raoul leads coalition opposing rollback of air pollution permitting program: In their comment letter to the EPA, Raoul and the coalition explain that the Clean Air Act requires NSR permits to be obtained before construction of any portion of a major pollutant-emitting facility or source is started. Under the current process, residents are able to provide input and pose questions before construction begins about facilities near where they live and that may pollute the air that they breathe. This process is especially important for facilities to be constructed in lower-income communities and communities of color, which often already bear high pollution burdens. The proposal will deprive these communities of a fair opportunity to be heard before it may be too late to address their environmental concerns.

* Press release | AG Raoul defends validity of firearm industry responsibility Act: Raoul’s brief was filed in an interlocutory appeal arising out of numerous cases brought against Smith & Wesson Brand Inc. (Smith & Wesson) by victims of the fatal 2022 shooting at the Highland Park, Illinois Independence Day parade. The brief explains that the Illinois General Assembly enacted FIRA to advance the state’s interest of protecting public safety and asserts that its enactment was a permissible exercise of state sovereign authority. “As Attorney General, it is my responsibility to protect Illinois residents and businesses from fraud, deception and unfair business practices. More importantly, it is my priority to protect our communities from deadly gun violence as a result of those unfair business practices,” Raoul said. “I will continue to ensure that FIRA, which is an important tool in effectuating both of those interests, is preserved to deter and remediate the effects of gun violence in Illinois.”

* Press release | AG Raoul issues statement on birthright citizenship: “As Justice Jackson wrote in her concurrence, the concept of birthright citizenship “was thus not that some new status should be created and conferred on freed Blacks. It was instead that freed Blacks already had a rightful claim to citizenship because they had been born on American soil. After all, the nation, from its founding, had ‘boldly proclaim[ed] that all men are born free and equal, and that consequently life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, are inherent in every individual, vested inalienably by natural birthright.’ No ideal was more inherently American.”