Twelve states in the United States jointly filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration on Wednesday (April 23), demanding to halt its new tariff policies, claiming that the policies are illegal and causing chaos to the American economy.
In the lawsuit filed at the U.S. Court of International Trade in New York, the states argued that President Trump’s implementation of the new tariff policies was “impulsive rather than a reasonable exercise of legal authority.”
The lawsuit questions Trump’s claim that he can impose tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). The plaintiffs seek a court declaration that these tariffs are illegal and request to prevent government agencies and officials from implementing the new tariff plan.
The plaintiffs in this lawsuit include 12 states: Oregon, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, and Vermont.
Arizona Attorney General and Democrat Kris Mayes stated in a press release that Trump’s tariff plan is “madness.” She said, “It is not only economically reckless but also illegal.”
The lawsuit argues that only Congress has the authority to impose tariffs, and the president can invoke the IEEPA only in case of an emergency and facing “unusual and extraordinary threats from foreign sources.”
The lawsuit states, “The president has subverted constitutional processes, causing chaos to the American economy.”
Last week, Democratic Governor of California Gavin Newsom also sued the Trump administration in the Northern District Federal Court of California over the tariff policy, stating that as the largest importing state in the U.S., California could lose billions of dollars in revenue due to the new tariffs.
White House Deputy Press Secretary Kush Desai responded to Newsom’s lawsuit, stating that the Trump administration is “still committed to addressing this national emergency that is tearing apart American industry and depriving our workers of all the tools we have – from tariffs to negotiations.”
(This article references reporting from the Associated Press)