Trump hit with lawsuit by 12 states over ‘whimsical' tariffs - what we know so far
Twelve US states have taken legal action against President Donald Trump's 'immense and ever-changing' global tariffs, arguing that he unlawfully sidestepped Congress by issuing duties under an emergency economic law. The legal suit was filed on Wednesday in the US Court of International Trade in Manhattan.
The suit argues that Congress didn't grant the President the necessary authority to impose the tariffs and that national trade policy 'now hinges on the president's whims rather than the sound exercise of his lawful authority.'
Trump 'has upended the constitutional order and brought chaos to the American economy,' the group said in the complaint.
The suit comes from New York, Illinois, Arizona, Oregon, Colorado, Connecticut, New Mexico, Vermont, Nevada, Delaware, Minnesota and Maine.
The lawsuit seeks a court order halting the tariffs, including the worldwide levies Trump paused on April 9 pointing out that the tariff amout will add tax burden to US consumer.
The lawsuit comes on the heels of several similar cases brought by California, small businesses, and members of the Blackfeet Nation tribe in Montana, all challenging the legality of the tariffs.
'The president does not have the power to raise taxes on a whim, but that's exactly what President Trump has been doing with these tariffs,' New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement. 'Donald Trump promised that he would lower prices and ease the cost of living, but these illegal tariffs will have the exact opposite effect on American families.'
The complaint takes aim at Trump's use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, which the president invoked for 'the most damaging of his tariffs,' according to the suit.
The states argue the law was passed five decades ago to prevent presidents from abusing emergency powers, and that it can only be invoked to respond to an 'unusual and extraordinary threat.' Trade deficits and other issues cited by Trump don't meet that standard, the states allege.
'The statutory requirement of an 'unusual and extraordinary threat' is not met by the president's declaration of emergency accompanying the Worldwide Tariff Order,' the states said in the complaint. 'As the Worldwide Tariff Order acknowledges, 'annual US goods trade deficits' are 'persistent'; thus, by definition, they are not 'unusual and extraordinary.''
A spokesman for the White House criticized Democratic officials who filed the complaint for 'prioritizing a witch hunt against President Trump over protecting the safety and wellbeing of their constituents.'
'The Trump Administration remains committed to using its full legal authority to confront the distinct national emergencies our country is currently facing — both the scourge of illegal migration and fentanyl flows across our border and the exploding annual US goods trade deficit,' White House spokesman Kush Desai said in a statement.
First Published: 24 Apr 2025, 05:36 AM IST
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