12 states sue Trump administration over tariffs

Twelve states filed a lawsuit in the U.S. Court of International Trade against the Trump administration, accusing them of unconstitutionally imposing sweeping tariffs without congressional approval. The coalition is led by Oregon.

The complaint, filed on Wednesday, challenges a series of executive orders issued since February that imposed new tariffs ranging from 10% to 145% on imports from Canada, Mexico, China, and dozens of other countries.

The Trump administration has justified the tariffs by invoking emergency powers under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), citing national security and economic threats such as drug trafficking and trade deficits.

The states argue that President Trump overstepped his legal authority and violated the Constitution, which grants Congress—not the executive—the power to impose tariffs.

“These edicts reflect a national trade policy that now hinges on the President’s whims,” the lawsuit states, accusing the administration of using tariffs as a political and economic weapon untethered from any legitimate statutory basis.

The lawsuit seeks to block federal agencies from collecting the new tariffs and asks the court to vacate all related agency actions. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is named among the defendants, along with President Trump, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and Acting CBP Commissioner Peter R. Flores.

The states argue that the tariffs have already caused measurable harm by driving up costs for public agencies, educational institutions, and infrastructure projects. Examples cited in the complaint include increased prices for scientific equipment at Oregon universities, higher costs for vehicles and construction materials in Delaware and New York, and budget uncertainty in multiple states due to unpredictable tariff shifts.

According to the lawsuit, the administration’s justifications under IEEPA do not meet the legal threshold of an “unusual and extraordinary threat,” and many of the tariffs are not tailored to address the emergencies they claim to respond to.

The states involved in the lawsuit include Oregon, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, and Vermont—joining California, which filed its own lawsuit last week.

The plaintiffs also point to the economic volatility triggered by the tariff regime. They claim that abrupt policy changes have rattled financial markets, slowed public procurement, and forced state agencies to absorb sudden cost increases. The lawsuit highlights a nearly 15% drop in the S&P 500 between early March and April, followed by partial recoveries only after the administration paused some of the tariffs.

The states are asking the court to convene a special three-judge panel due to the constitutional issues and broad national impact of the case.