States Challenge Trump’s Tariff Policy in Court
In a significant legal move, a coalition of twelve states has taken a stand against the Trump administration’s tariff strategy, arguing that it disrupts the American economy and exceeds the bounds of lawful authority.
On Wednesday, these states filed a lawsuit in the U.S. Court of International Trade in New York, asserting that President Trump’s tariff policy relies on arbitrary decisions rather than legal principles.
The core of the lawsuit challenges Trump’s use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to justify the tariffs, contending that the action is beyond presidential powers. The complaint requests a judicial declaration deeming the tariffs illegal and seeks to prevent government officials from enforcing them.
The Justice Department has not yet commented on the lawsuit.
States and Officials Speak Out
The lawsuit includes Oregon, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, and Vermont as plaintiffs. Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes critiqued the tariff policy as “insane” and “not only economically reckless — it is illegal.”
Echoing these sentiments, Connecticut Attorney General William Tong described the tariffs as “a massive tax” on families and a “disaster for Connecticut businesses and jobs.”
The complaint argues that Congress holds the sole authority to impose tariffs and that the president’s powers under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act are limited to emergencies that present an “unusual and extraordinary threat” from abroad.
“By claiming the authority to impose immense and ever-changing tariffs on whatever goods entering the United States he chooses, for whatever reason he finds convenient to declare an emergency, the President has upended the constitutional order and brought chaos to the American economy,” the lawsuit stated.
Related Legal Challenges
Meanwhile, California Governor Gavin Newsom has also filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in the Northern District of California. Governor Newsom argues that the tariffs could result in substantial financial losses for California, the largest importing state in the U.S.
Responding to Newsom’s legal action, White House spokesperson Kush Desai emphasized the administration’s commitment to addressing the national emergency through all available measures, including tariffs and negotiations.
This article was originally written by www.npr.org
