Frosh, DC Counterpart Ask Court To Rehear Emoluments Case

Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh said Monday he and his Washington, D.C., counterpart have re-filed to have their suit against President Donald Trump heard by a full panel of a circuit court's judges.

"We are asking the entire 4th Circuit Court of Appeals to rehear our case," Frosh tweeted. "We will keep fighting to stop President Trump from violating the Emoluments Clauses. No federal court of appeals has ever short-circuited litigation this way.”

We are asking the entire 4th Circuit Court of Appeals to rehear our case. We will keep fighting to stop President Trump from violating the Emoluments Clauses. No federal court of appeals has ever short-circuited litigation this way.” pic.twitter.com/MdvZHWJvHi — Brian Frosh (@BrianFrosh) August 26, 2019

In July, a three-judge panel ruled Maryland and the District of Columbia lacked standing in their case. The two jurisdictions claim Trump is accepting illegal profits from foreign and state government visitors at his Washington hotel.

The hotel is build inside the Old Post Office, leased from the federal government. Reopened in October 2016 as the Trump International Hotel, it has become a hot destination for lobbyists and foreign officials. Maryland and the District claim they have suffered harm because more people would stay at other hotels if they weren't eager to curry favor with the president.

This case is the most prominent of lawsuits against the Trump administration either filed by or joined by Frosh. He defended actions including court fights against offshore drilling and rollbacks of environmental protection rules.

All three judges on the panel that ruled in July were nominated by Republican presidents. One was nominated by Trump. Of the court's 15 active judges, nine were appointed by Democratic presidents.