Twenty-four U.S. states announce lawsuit to stop Trump’s latest global tariffs

Twenty-four U.S. states file a lawsuit to block Trump’s new tariffs, claiming they violate legal authority and seek refunds.

A group of 24 ‌U.S. states will sue President Donald Trump’s administration on Thursday (March 5, 2026) in the first legal ​challenge to his newly imposed 10% global tariffs, alleging that the President cannot ⁠sidestep a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that invalidated most of his previous tariffs on imported goods by citing new legal authority, according to the states.

The Democratic-led states, including New York, California and Oregon, argue the ‌new tariffs, which Mr. Trump announced immediately after the high court ruling on February 20, are also illegal. The tariffs were imposed for 150 days under the Trade Act ‌of 1974, which is meant to address short-term monetary emergencies, not routine trade deficits ‌that ⁠arise when a wealthy nation like the United States imports more than ⁠it exports, according to the states’ lawsuit which will be filed in the New York-based U.S. Court of International Trade.

“The focus right now should be on paying people back, not doubling down on illegal tariffs,” Oregon’s Attorney General Dan Rayfield ​said.

Mr. Trump’s February 20 executive order imposed ‌a 10% tariff on imports, but U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Wednesday that those rates would likely rise to 15% later this week.

Mr. Trump has made tariffs a central pillar of his foreign policy in his second term, claiming sweeping authority to issue tariffs without input ‌from Congress. But the Supreme Court on February 20 handed Mr. Trump a stinging defeat ​when it struck down a huge swath of tariffs he had imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, ruling that the law did not ⁠give him the power he claimed.

Mr. Trump responded by criticizing the justices who ruled against him and announcing new duties under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, a law that - like IEEPA - ‌had never before been used to impose tariffs in the U.S. Mr. Trump has also imposed other tariffs, on imports like autos, steel and aluminum, under more traditional legal authority. Those tariffs are safer from legal challenges.