25 US states sue Trump administration over new tariffs
A group of 25 US states filed a lawsuit on Monday against the Trump administration over its latest tariffs, arguing that the president has overstepped his legal authority to impose import duties. The coalition, nearly all led by Democratic attorneys general or governors, filed the case in the US Court of International Trade in New York, asking the court to halt the tariffs, declare them unlawful, and order refunds of duties already collected.
The tariffs in question, ranging from 10% to 12.5%, were imposed last month on goods from 60 trading partners—including the European Union, the UK, China, Japan, Brazil, and Taiwan—over allegations that those countries have not done enough to stop the importation of goods produced with forced labor. According to the Office of the US Trade Representative, the duties cover 99.4% of US imports.
The states' lawsuit argues that the administration "cannot use forced labour as a pretext to continue its illegal tariff scheme," and that there is "no rational fit between the purported problem of forced labor in international supply chains and the blanket global tariffs." The action follows a February Supreme Court ruling that struck down an earlier set of Trump tariffs, and the new levies took effect just as temporary tariffs expired.
New York Attorney General Letitia James, who is leading the suit alongside Oregon, said in a statement: "After losing at the Supreme Court, the administration is once again trying to illegally raise taxes on families and businesses with a new round of tariffs." Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield added: "Despite losing every step of the way, Trump is trying yet again to inflict more chaos on working families and home-grown Oregon businesses."
The states joining the lawsuit include Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin, along with the governors of Kentucky and Pennsylvania.
The White House defended the tariffs, with spokesman Kush Desai saying the United States is "using its lawful authority to obtain the elimination of unreasonable acts, policies, and practices that burden US commerce." He added that a foreign country's failure to enforce a prohibition on goods produced with forced labor is "unreasonable" and must be addressed.
The lawsuit is the latest in a series of legal challenges to Trump's trade policies. Earlier this year, small businesses also sued to block the tariffs, and previous challenges have succeeded in court, yet the administration has continued to pursue new tariffs despite the setbacks.