A coalition of 25 US states has sued the Donald Trump administration over its new tariffs of 10% to 12.5% on goods from 60 trading partners, including India, calling them illegal and an attempt to replace earlier import taxes struck down by the US Supreme Court in February, The Guardian reported.
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The lawsuit, filed in the US Court of International Trade, seeks to block the tariffs, have them declared unlawful and secure refunds for duties already collected.
According to the states, the tariffs imposed last month on 59 countries and the European Union cover 99.4% of US imports. The Trump administration has argued that the affected countries have failed to do enough to stop imports made with forced labour.
"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," New York attorney general Letitia James said in a statement.
"No matter how the administration tries to justify it, the law and our Constitution are clear that the president does not have the power to impose sweeping tariffs on whatever countries he wants," James added.
The states joining the lawsuit include New York, California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Washington, Wisconsin and 18 others, along with the governors of Kentucky and Pennsylvania.
The tariffs took effect in July under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 after the administration's earlier "Liberation Day" tariffs were ruled unconstitutional. The new duties affect major trading partners, including Canada, Japan, Norway, Taiwan and China.
The lawsuit follows a separate legal challenge filed by the Liberty Justice Center on behalf of two small US businesses, which argues that Trump exceeded his executive authority.
Responding to the lawsuit, White House spokesman Kush Desai defended the tariffs.
"The United States is using its lawful authority to obtain the elimination of unreasonable acts, policies, and practices that burden US commerce," Desai said. "A foreign country’s failure to impose and effectively enforce a prohibition on the importation of goods produced with forced labour is unreasonable and burdens US commerce, including American workers, and must be addressed. Section 301 tariffs have proven to be a legally durable tool since the President’s first term, and they remain so now."
New York Governor Kathy Hochul said the administration was using "forced labour" as a pretext to continue imposing broad tariffs that raise costs for consumers.
"President Trump’s illegal tariffs are nothing more than a tax on hardworking families, driving up the cost of groceries, household essentials, building materials, and countless everyday goods that New Yorkers rely on," Hochul said. "The Supreme Court has made it clear that this administration cannot ignore the law to impose sweeping tariffs."
