Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser on Wednesday filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump’s administration, alleging that the decision to relocate the U.S. Space Command headquarters from Colorado Springs to Huntsville, Alabama, was unconstitutional and politically motivated.
Filed in Colorado’s federal district court, the suit seeks an injunction to block the relocation and a judicial declaration that the president’s action amounts to unconstitutional retaliation against the state for its mail-in voting system.
“The Constitution does not permit the Executive Branch to punish or retaliate against states for lawfully exercising powers reserved for them, such as the power to regulate elections,” Weiser said in a statement.
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At a White House event in September, Trump said Colorado’s vote-by-mail policy had “played a big factor” in his decision to move the headquarters.
Weiser warned that the move could set a precedent for federal retaliation against states “unless they give up their constitutional authority.”
Space Command, created during Trump’s first term alongside the U.S. Space Force, is currently based in Colorado Springs. Alabama Republicans have long lobbied for the headquarters to move to Huntsville, home to key NASA and missile development facilities.
Weiser’s office is also involved in other legal challenges against the Trump administration, including suits over the suspension of renewable-energy projects and the withdrawal of funding for electric-vehicle infrastructure.
