Attorney General James Wins Lawsuit Blocking Trump Administration from Imposing Worldwide Tariffs

NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James today released the following statement after the United States Court of International Trade ruled that the Trump administration’s tariffs issued under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) are invalid and cannot be implemented. The court ruled in favor of Attorney General James and a coalition of 11 other attorneys general who sued the Trump administration in April for violating the law by imposing worldwide tariffs under IEEPA, causing severe economic damage throughout the country:

“The law is clear: no president has the power to single-handedly raise taxes whenever they like. These tariffs are a massive tax hike on working families and American businesses that would have led to more inflation, economic damage to businesses of all sizes, and job losses across the country if allowed to continue. This decision is a major victory for our efforts to uphold the law and protect New Yorkers from illegal policies that threaten American jobs and economy.”

Attorney General James and the coalition sued the Trump administration for unlawfully imposing tariffs under IEEPA through executive orders, social media posts, and agency orders. Attorney General James and the coalition argued that the president has no such power under IEEPA. However, since February, President Trump has been unilaterally imposing sweeping tariffs against America’s closest trading partners and nearly every country on Earth.

The United States Court of International Trade today ruled that the law does not authorize any of the tariffs imposed by the Trump administration under IEEPA, including tariffs on China, Mexico, Canada, and the European Union. The court found the tariffs to be unlawful and ordered that they be permanently blocked.

Joining Attorney General James in filing this lawsuit are the attorneys general of Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, and Vermont.

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