State of California Department of Justice
Rob Bonta
Attorney General
Attorney General
The Government Law Section provides legal advice and representation to the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Controller, Treasurer, Secretary of State, Department of Finance, and various other state agencies in a wide range of trial and appellate court matters, with a primary focus on defending state laws, regulations, and policies against constitutional challenges. Advice and litigation touch on virtually every aspect of state government, including but not limited to: firearms and other public-safety laws; election laws and voter eligibility requirements; voter list maintenance; internet privacy; social media regulation; federal funding; constitutional and statutory immunities; labor and employment; housing reform; criminal justice reform; relations between the Attorney General and local law enforcement agencies; use and dissemination of criminal history information and other personal information retained by the State; state mandates; state budgets; professional licensing requirements; unclaimed property; public contracting; and public records. Government Law attorneys also help prepare the official titles and summaries for voter initiatives and referenda; advise the Attorney General in his role as decision-maker in various administrative proceedings before the Department of Justice; and analyze and assist with drafting proposed legislation. Government Law attorneys work in close collaboration with the Office of the Solicitor General, the Office of General Counsel, the Attorney General’s Executive unit, and other litigation sections to advance the State’s legal interests.
Senior Assistant Attorney General: Thomas S. Patterson
Offices: Los Angeles, San Diego, Sacramento, and San Francisco
Election Integrity Project, Inc. v. Weber (9th Cir. 2024): Upholding election administration statutes and regulations governing California’s vote-by-mail program against due process, free speech, and equal protection challenges.
Stone v. Pfeiffer, et al.; Upholding the Blueprint for a Safer Economy, the State’s plan for imposing graduated restrictions on businesses and gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic, against separation-of-powers and statutory challenges.
Ghost Golf, Inc. v. Newsom (Cal. Ct. App. 2024): Upholding the Blueprint for a Safer Economy, the State’s plan for imposing graduated restrictions on businesses and gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic, against separation-of-powers and statutory challenges.
O’Handley v. Weber (9th Cir. 2023): Affirming dismissal of action by social media influencer alleging that the Secretary of State violated his First Amendment rights by “flagging” one of his tweets about the 2020 election as false and misleading.
Wonderful Nurseries LLC v. Agric. Labor. Rels. Bd. (Kern Cty. Sup. Ct.) (pending): State and federal due process challenges to the Labor Code’s “majority support petition” process for certifying collective bargaining representatives of agricultural workers.
Barba v. Bonta (San Diego Cty. Sup. Ct.) (pending): State constitutional privacy challenge to Assembly Bill 173, which directs the Department of Justice to share, subject to strict confidentiality restrictions, certain personal information about firearms purchasers with public policy researchers studying approaches to reducing firearms violence.
People of the State of California v. City of Huntington Beach (Cal. Ct. App.) (pending): Action by Attorney General and Secretary of State challenging city charter provision authorizing voter ID requirement in municipal elections as preempted by state law.
State of Cal. et al. v. Trump et al. (U.S. Dist. Ct. N.D. Cal.) (pending): Action challenging President’s authority to impose tariffs pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
State of Cal. et al. v. Trump et al. (U.S. Dist. Ct. D. Mass.) (pending) Multi-state action challenging Executive Order No. 14248, entitled “Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections,” as ultra vires, in violation of the separation of powers, and contrary to the National Voter Registration Act.
State of Cal. et al. v. Trump et al. (U.S. Dist. Ct. D. Mass.) (pending) Multi-state action challenging Executive Order No. 14248, entitled “Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections,” as ultra vires, in violation of the separation of powers, and contrary to the National Voter Registration Act.
Duncan v. Bonta (9th Cir. 2025) (en banc) (pending): Upholding state law banning the possession of large-capacity magazines against a Second Amendment challenge.