By Chris Kain
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DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb signed onto a multistate lawsuit filed yesterday that seeks to block President Donald Trump‘s administration from rolling back enforcement of fair housing protections against discrimination.

Democratic attorneys general from California, Illinois, Maryland and 12 other states participated in the lawsuit, which seeks to halt implementation of recent guidance from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development that the plaintiffs contend makes it more difficult to hold landlords accountable for discrimination. The suit also objects to HUD’s threats to withhold funding from state and local agencies that don’t abide by the department’s conditions.

“All levels of government — local, state, and federal — should be laser focused not only on building more housing, but also ensuring that everyone can access a home free from discrimination,” California AG Rob Bonta, who is co-leading the coalition, said in a press release. “Unfortunately, the Trump Administration thinks otherwise. HUD, without legal authority, is effectively undermining state laws that offer stronger protections than federal law.”

While the federal Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status or disability, various states as well as DC have included other protected traits in their own laws. The DC Human Rights Act prohibits discrimination based on source of income, sealed eviction record, sexual orientation, and gender identity or expression, among other things.

The Trump administration contends that its revised guidance on fair housing enforcement was necessary to undo “regulatory overreach” and “radical policies” imposed by prior officials.

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