24 States Sue Trump Over New Tariffs

A group of 24 U.S. states sued American President Donald Trump on Thursday over his imposition of new tariffs on imports around the world, according to the New York Times, which said that his administration would now be forced back into court to try to maintain those tariffs.

The lawsuit is led by the states of Oregon, New York, California, and Arizona, which argue that Trump did not have the power to impose those tariffs, the Times reports. Trump imposed the new tariffs after the U.S. Supreme Court overruled Trump’s original tariffs on February 20, ruling that he had unlawfully circumvented the U.S. Congress, whose approval is needed to impose tariffs. On March 4, a federal judge in the Court of International Trade ruled that the government would have to pay back those funds to importers, which total billions of dollars. Trump had come up with a new plan, invoking Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, which would give him the right to impose tariffs of up to 15 percent for 150 days. The Times said he was the first president to ever invoke the act. The current tariffs are set to expire July 24, barring judicial action.

With prominent two-year-old sales approaching in the UK, Ireland, and France, European sales companies and consignors, whose business is undoubtedly impacted by the tariffs, will no doubt be watching the outcome of the court case carefully.

The states who have sued the administration over that action, say that the move will “upend the constitutional order and bring chaos to the global economy,” the Times reported. A ruling is expected within weeks.