A coalition of 25 US states has filed a lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump’s latest round of Section 301 tariffs, arguing they exceed his legal authority. …reports Asian Lite News Desk
A coalition of 25 US states has sued the Trump administration over its latest Section 301 tariffs, arguing that President Donald Trump exceeded his legal authority by imposing sweeping import duties on goods from 60 trading partners.
The complaint, filed in the US Court of International Trade, challenges tariffs of 10 per cent or 12.5 per cent applied to the vast majority of goods imported from the affected economies. According to the filing, those economies account for 99.4 per cent of all US imports.
The states are asking the court to block the tariffs, declare them unlawful and order refunds for duties already collected.
The lawsuit focuses on the administration’s decision to rely on Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 to introduce the latest tariffs after earlier versions imposed under different legal provisions were rejected by federal courts. The coalition argues that the administration used Section 301 and concerns over forced labour as a pretext to reinstate a tariff regime that closely resembles measures the Supreme Court struck down in February.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul criticised the tariffs, saying they would increase 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 in a statement.
Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield also criticised the measures, arguing they would place additional financial pressure on households and businesses.
“Today, we’re filing our third lawsuit against Trump’s illegal tariffs,” Rayfield wrote on X. “Once again, the president is raising costs on everyday goods for Oregon families and small businesses, and once again, we’re leading a multistate coalition stepping up to stop him.”
New York Attorney General Letitia James said the administration was attempting to revive tariff policies that had already been rejected by the courts.
“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,” James said.
The White House rejected the claims made in the lawsuit, maintaining that tariffs imposed under Section 301 remain a lawful and effective trade policy tool.
The administration said Section 301 tariffs have proven to be a “legally durable tool” since Trump’s first term and continue to provide a valid legal basis for the current measures.
The lawsuit was filed by New York alongside Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin.
It marks at least the second significant legal challenge to the latest tariffs. A separate group of small businesses has already filed a lawsuit arguing that the administration cannot rely on new statutory authority to reintroduce broad tariffs after the Supreme Court invalidated its earlier tariff framework.
The outcome of the case could have significant implications for the administration’s trade policy and its ability to continue imposing broad import duties under Section 301 of the Trade Act.
