California Launches Legal Challenge Against Trump Administration's Tariffs
State sues to block tariffs imposed on goods from all countries, citing devastating economic impacts and constitutional concerns
The state of California has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration in an effort to block the imposition of tariffs on goods from all countries.
The tariffs, which include a 10% tariff on goods from most countries and a 145% tariff on China, have been justified by the administration as a response to what it claims are high barriers to US imports and a national emergency threatening the country's manufacturing capacity.
However, California argues that the tariffs are unconstitutional and will have devastating impacts on the state's economy, which is the world's fifth-largest and the largest importer of goods among US states.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in San Francisco, claims that the tariffs will cripple California's 12 ports, which take in 40% of goods imported to the US, and harm the state's agricultural exports, which totalled $23.6 billion in 2022. The Trump administration has also faced criticism from experts, who argue that the tariffs are on shaky legal ground because they do not meet the standard of 'unusual and extraordinary' threats to the US. The administration has invoked the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) as authority for the tariffs, but California and other critics argue that this law does not grant the president the power to impose tariffs unilaterally.
The lawsuit is one of several challenges to the Trump administration's tariff policy, with similar lawsuits filed in New York, Florida, and Montana.
The tariffs, which include a 10% tariff on goods from most countries and a 145% tariff on China, have been justified by the administration as a response to what it claims are high barriers to US imports and a national emergency threatening the country's manufacturing capacity.
However, California argues that the tariffs are unconstitutional and will have devastating impacts on the state's economy, which is the world's fifth-largest and the largest importer of goods among US states.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in San Francisco, claims that the tariffs will cripple California's 12 ports, which take in 40% of goods imported to the US, and harm the state's agricultural exports, which totalled $23.6 billion in 2022. The Trump administration has also faced criticism from experts, who argue that the tariffs are on shaky legal ground because they do not meet the standard of 'unusual and extraordinary' threats to the US. The administration has invoked the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) as authority for the tariffs, but California and other critics argue that this law does not grant the president the power to impose tariffs unilaterally.
The lawsuit is one of several challenges to the Trump administration's tariff policy, with similar lawsuits filed in New York, Florida, and Montana.
