25 US states sue Trump administration over new import tariffs
A coalition of 25 US states has filed a lawsuit in the US Court of International Trade challenging new import duties imposed by the Trump administration. The legal action targets tariffs ranging from 10% to 12.5% applied to goods from 60 trading partners, including the European Union.
The administration justifies the measures by citing the need to combat forced labor in international supply chains. White House spokesperson Kush Desai stated that failing to enforce bans on forced labor products burdens American commerce and workers. However, state attorneys general, including New York's Letitia James and Connecticut's William Tong, argue the policy is a pretext to circumvent previous legal defeats.
The lawsuit follows a series of legal setbacks for the administration. In February, the US Supreme Court ruled that broad tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) were unlawful. Following that ruling, the administration shifted to using Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 to implement the current duties. The states contend that this is an attempt to restore a tariff regime that the judiciary has already deemed illegal.
Entities: Donald Trump · Kush Desai · Letitia James · Office of the United States Trade Representative · US Court of International Trade · United States Court of International Trade · William Tong
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 2 SOURCES] claimed the administration is using a new legal basis to bypass previous Supreme Court rulings. (Letitia James)
- [● 3 SOURCES] ruled in February that most of the administration's broad tariffs under the IEEPA were unlawful. (US Supreme Court)
- [● 2 SOURCES] justified the tariffs as a measure to combat forced labor abuses abroad. (White House)
- [● 4 SOURCES] filed a joint lawsuit in the US Court of International Trade against the Trump administration's new tariffs. (25 US states)
- [● 2 SOURCES] invoked Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 to implement the new tariffs. (Trump administration)
- [● 4 SOURCES] imposed tariffs between 10% and 12.5% on goods from 60 trading partners, including the European Union. (Trump administration)