24 U.S. States Sue President Donald Trump to Block 10% Global Tariffs

New York Attorney General Letitia James, joined by the top prosecutors of 23 other states, filed suit in the U.S. Court of International Trade seeking to block President Donald Trump’s 10% global tariff regime and to obtain refunds to states.

“New York Attorney General Letitia James and the top prosecutors of 23 other states once again sued to block President Donald Trump's global tariff regime, just days after a landmark Supreme Court decision struck down his previous effort”

CNBC

The lawsuit was filed days after the Supreme Court struck down most of Trump’s earlier tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), a decision that directly precipitated the administration’s swift shift to a new legal basis for tariffs.

CNBC

The administration quickly pivoted from IEEPA to invoke Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 as the legal basis for the new tariffs, a move coverage described as an unprecedented use of that statute.

It set a 10% global rate with plans to raise it to 15%.

The Hindu

News reports emphasize that Mr. Trump has made tariffs a central pillar of his trade policy and is asserting broad unilateral authority to impose duties without fresh congressional approval.

The states’ legal challenge rests on an argument — echoed in reporting — that Section 122 was meant to be limited to 'balance-of-payments' crises (a concern from the Nixon era) and to monetary risks such as sudden dollar depreciation, not ordinary trade deficits.

“New York Attorney General Letitia James and the top prosecutors of 23 other states once again sued to block President Donald Trump's global tariff regime, just days after a landmark Supreme Court decision struck down his previous effort”

CNBC

The states have asked courts both to block the Section 122 tariffs and to order refunds for payments already made under that authority, while a separate wave of roughly 2,000 business lawsuits seeking refunds of more than $130 billion under the earlier IEEPA tariffs has proceeded alongside the state actions.

The litigation highlights immediate economic and political stakes.

New York’s attorney general says the administration is "causing more economic chaos and expecting Americans to foot the bill."

The Hindu

The administration frames the tariffs as a lawful tool of presidential trade policy.

The combination of state suits, thousands of business refund claims and a Supreme Court decision ordering Customs to process refunds creates legal and fiscal uncertainty about who ultimately bears the costs.

It also creates uncertainty about how broadly the new Section 122 authority can be applied.