A group of 12 U.S states has filed a lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariff measures, arguing that the administration’s actions overstep constitutional boundaries and bypass congressional authority.
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, speaking on behalf of the coalition, did not mince words.
“President Trump’s insane tariff scheme is not only economically reckless — it is illegal,” she declared in a statement Wednesday.
The lawsuit, filed by states including Arizona, Minnesota, New York, and Oregon—all led by Democratic administrations—contests the legality of the president’s unilateral imposition of tariffs.
California, which is not part of this particular suit, launched a similar legal challenge a week earlier.
Since beginning his second term, Trump has shaken up long-standing U.S. trade policy with what he terms “Liberation Day” tariff declarations.
Most notably, he introduced a steep 145% tariff on Chinese imports, prompting China to retaliate with its own 125% duties on American products.
Despite market instability and criticism from economic analysts, Trump maintains that his approach will bolster U.S manufacturing. Speaking to reporters Wednesday, he said, “We’re working on a fair deal with China.”
But his actions haven’t stopped with China. Trump has also slapped 10% tariffs on imports from other trade partners and signaled that more could follow.
The states’ lawsuit argues that the president is misusing the 1977 emergency powers law to justify his actions.
The suit reads, “By claiming the authority to impose immense and ever-changing tariffs on whatever goods entering the United States he chooses, for whatever reason he finds convenient to declare an emergency, the President has upended the constitutional order and brought chaos to the American economy.”
Arizona’s Mayes emphasized the practical impacts of the policy: “No matter what the White House claims, tariffs are a tax that will be passed on to Arizona consumers.”
Meanwhile, political fallout is mounting. According to The New York Times, Trump’s approval rating has steadily declined over his first three months in office, hitting a new low of 44% this week.
Democrats are capitalizing on the backlash. California Governor Gavin Newsom recently labeled Trump’s tariff strategy “the worst own-goal in the history of this country.”
