Two dozen states sued the Trump administration on Thursday, alleging that President Trump exceeded his authority in imposing new global tariffs after the Supreme Court in February struck down emergency import duties he introduced last year.
The lawsuit centers on 10% tariffs the Trump administration recently implemented under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974. Mr. Trump later said he would raise the tariffs to 15%. The states argue that the tariffs violate the Constitution’s separation of powers principle.
In a 6-3 decision last month, the Supreme Court ruled that Mr. Trump did not have the right to impose tariffs under the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).
“As with his unlawful use of IEEPA, the president has once again exercised tariff authority that he does not have — involving a statute that does not authorize the tariffs he has imposed — to upend the constitutional order and bring chaos to the global economy,” the states said in the suit.
The lawsuit asks the U.S. Court of International Trade to rule that Section 122 tariffs are illegal and to order the U.S. government to refund states for any costs while the tariffs were in effect.
— This is a developing story and will be updated
