Group of States Sues Trump Administration Over New Tariffs

A coalition of US states has filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s new global tariffs, which impose 10% to 12.5% duties on imports from most major trade partners. The lawsuit, filed in the US Court of International Trade in Manhattan, alleges that the administration failed to conduct required country-specific inquiries before imposing the tariffs. The move is the latest in a series of legal challenges to the Trump administration’s trade policies, including a Supreme Court ruling that invalidated earlier tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. The new tariffs, imposed under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, have been criticized by businesses and states, who argue that they are unlawful and will harm American workers and businesses. The lawsuit is part of a broader dispute over the Trump administration’s use of tariffs as a tool of trade policy, with the administration facing refund demands from thousands of businesses that paid roughly $166 billion in levies collected under the earlier tariffs. The case is likely to be closely watched, as it has implications for the future of US trade policy and the use of tariffs as a tool of economic diplomacy.