Washington (CNN) A coalition of Democratic attorneys general announced a lawsuit on Wednesday accusing the Trump administration of "illegally weakening" school nutrition standards.

The suit seeks to stop the administration from rolling back Obama administration guidelines for school breakfast and lunch -- policies championed in part by former first lady Michelle Obama.

"The Trump Administration has undermined key health benefits for our children -- standards for salt and whole grains in school meals -- with deliberate disregard for science, expert opinion, and the law," New York Attorney General Letitia James James said in a statement announcing the suit.

New York was joined by California, Illinois, New Mexico, Vermont and Washington, DC, in the lawsuit brought against the Department of Agriculture as well as Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue and the USDA's Food and Nutrition Service.

The USDA said it does not comment on pending litigation.

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