The legal authority in Colorado is taking steps to stop the move of Space Command Headquarters from Colorado to Alabama. The Alabama Attorney General said he will fight to bring it to Huntsville.
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump announced Space Command Headquarters will be moved to the Rocket City, reversing a previous decision by the Biden administration. It has been fully operational in Colorado since 2023.
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser released a statement that he will take legal action to prevent the move.
“The Colorado Attorney General’s Office has been preparing in the event the president made such an unlawful decision to move Space Command HQ,” Weiser said in the statement. “If the Trump administration takes this step – I’m prepared to challenge it in court.”
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said the state is ready for the fight.
“We’re pretty confident in our ability to defend the announcement from President Trump that we heard earlier this week about moving Space Command to Alabama, and I don’t know what the specific challenge will be from Colorado,” Marshall said.
AL.com requested details of the basis of the potential case. The Colorado Attorney General’s office replied that it “doesn’t have a further comment at this time.”
Marshall said multiple defendants may be named in a potential lawsuit. If so, he wants to make sure the State of Alabama is on that list.
“We would attempt to intervene, to aggressively assert Alabama’s interest in preserving the decision that we saw coming from the federal government,” Marshall said. “We’ll wait and see if this is political posturing or if this is, in fact, something that’s going to be filed. We’re very confident in our ability to defend whatever allegations are made.”
Both attorneys general agree that politics have been involved in Space Command’s location.
“The Trump administration should not play political games with our nation’s military readiness and military families,” Weiser wrote. “Moving Space Command Headquarters to Alabama is not only wrong for our national defense, but it’s harmful to hundreds of Space Command personnel and their families. These El Paso County residents are our neighbors. They relied on the federal government’s decision to keep Space Command HQ in Colorado Springs – they bought homes for their families, selected schools for their children, and have contributed to the local economy.”
However, Marshall believes it was Biden’s decision – reversing one made by President Trump in his first term – that was politically based.
“It was awarded to Alabama in 2021 based on the cities that had the opportunity to be able to compete; there are objective criteria that were used to assess the viability of each of those locations for Space Command to be hosted, and Alabama,” Marshall said. “One, it was a political decision from the Biden administration to remove it from Huntsville and to seemingly try to leave it in Colorado Springs, and President Trump just reaffirmed what the earlier decision was and that Huntsville is the rightful place for space.
Marshall has not received a notice about a filed lawsuit against the State of Alabama.
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