N.J. Governor Says Lawsuits Are States’ ‘Biggest Weapon’ Against Trump at Harvard Law School Talk

New Jersey Governor Phil D. Murphy ’79 told an audience of Harvard Law School students that lawyers are “the most valuable players” in ongoing legal battles against the federal government at an event hosted by the HLS Democrats Monday morning.

“We rely on our lawyers, both inside government and outside counsel, like never before,” Murphy said.

During the event — which was moderated by HLS professor Eloise P. Lawrence — Murphy, who is wrapping up his eighth and final year as New Jersey Governor, spoke about the state’s lawsuits against the Trump Administration.

“We’re suing them literally multiple times a day,” Murphy said. “But it’s hand to hand combat, so the biggest weapon we use are the courts.”

“We desperately need the courts including those in control — especially the Supreme Court in control — appointees from the other side,” he added. “They have to do their constitutional job.”

States are taking against the federal government through lawsuits, amicus briefs, or signing letters in support, according to Murphy. New Jersey is leading a lawsuit backed by multiple states that challenges Trump’s executive order restricting birthright citizenship, and the state is also engaged in lawsuits pushing back against threats to sanctuary cities and other executive orders.

Murphy said that utilizing multi-state lawsuits provides a “safety of numbers.”

“We call them multi-states, because they’re rarely singles.” Murphy said. “Having, almost every time, 23 states with you is a big deal.”

In response to a question about how Democrats should handle manipulative strategies by Republicans such as gerrymandering, Murphy said the aggressive tactics are “not who we are as a nation.”

However, he then backtracked, referencing a line from the movie The Untouchables.

“Don’t bring a knife to a gunfight, and this is a gunfight, and you could argue that democracy is on the balance,” Murphy said.

Murphy urged the importance of finding common ground between political actors.

“Don’t sell out,” he said. “Don’t abandon your principles, your values, the communities who are being really cruelly hurt.”

“On the other hand, you’re trying not to start World War III with these guys,” Murphy added. “It’s really, really hard to get that balance right.”

Murphy said he often deals with the challenges of being a politician through humor. During his time at Harvard, Murphy participated in the Hasty Pudding Theatricals, an activity he credits for giving him many of the skills necessary for his career.

“In my day job today, the ability to think on your feet when somebody comes out of left field with something you’re not expecting — when you might get questions at press conferences or in a gathering like this — keeping your cool, feeling confident in front of people, even in tough situations, I credit a lot of that to having been in theater,” he said.