25 States Sue Trump Administration Over Section 301 Tariffs on 59 Nations and EU

A coalition of 25 Democrat-led states filed lawsuits on Monday to block President Donald Trump‘s latest round of tariffs against 59 countries and the European Union, setting up a major legal confrontation over executive power and federal trade law.

Led by New York Attorney General Letitia James, the multi-state lawsuit challenges the administration’s decision to impose broad tariffs under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974. The states argue the administration is using forced-labor allegations as a pretext to bypass a recent 6-3 U.S. Supreme Court decision that invalidated earlier tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).

“After losing at the Supreme Court, the administration is once again trying to illegally raise taxes on families and businesses with a new round of tariffs,” James said in a statement announcing the legal action.

The legal fight centers on the administration’s effort to re-engineer its trade policy following Supreme Court limits. Under the statutory structure of Section 301, the president possesses authority to penalize foreign trade practices that burden U.S. commerce. However, Section 301 historically required targeted findings by the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) regarding specific unfair trade or intellectual property practices, rather than blanket global levies. By declaring that 60 trading partners failed to adequately enforce bans on forced-labor imports, the administration expanded the scope of Section 301 to cover vast portions of international trade.

White House spokesman Kush Desai defended the legal strategy, asserting that the administration acted within statutory boundaries to protect domestic workers.

“The United States is using its lawful authority to obtain the elimination of unreasonable acts, policies, and practices that burden U.S. commerce,” Desai said to NBC News. “A foreign country’s failure to impose and effectively enforce a prohibition on the importation of goods produced with forced labor is unreasonable and burdens U.S. commerce, including American workers, and must be addressed. Section 301 tariffs have proven to be a legally durable tool since the president’s first term, and they remain so now.”

The 25 states mounting the challenge include Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin.

The lawsuit follows intense criticism from Trump directed at the judiciary. Days prior to the filing, Trump targeted the Supreme Court on Truth Social over its 6-3 ruling on IEEPA tariffs as well as birthright citizenship decisions.

“Does anybody have any idea how much Money and Prestige the United States Supreme Court has cost our Nation with their negative Rulings on Birthright Citizenship and TARIFFS?” Trump wrote, adding, “The answer, TRILLIONS AND TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS!”

The trade policy shifts coincide with shifting domestic economic data. According to the Institute for Supply Management (ISM), the U.S. manufacturing PMI recently reached its highest level since 2022, highlighting the economic backdrop against which the manufacturing and tariff policies are taking effect.