President Donald Trump has already had at least one major political defeat related to his tariffs, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled earlier this year that the IEEPA law “does not authorize the President to impose tariffs.”
Now, with Trump’s administration once again seeking to impose new tariffs, a coalition of Democratic states, representing half the states in the country, has announced another lawsuit, seeking to block the latest tariff move.
“President Trump is so intent on raising the cost of living for Americans that he is willing to break law after law after law to do so,” California Attorney General Bonta said in announcing the suit.
Another lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s latest round of global tariffs (this time under Section 301, re: alleged failure to prevent forced labor in the supply chain) hit the docket today, this time brought by Dem state officials.
From Erik Larson:…
— Zoe Tillman (@ZoeTillman) August 4, 2026
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“This is President Trump’s third attempt to illegally impose tariffs that would make life more expensive for American families and small businesses, and this is the third time we’re taking the Administration to court over this misuse of power. Tariffs are taxes, and the American people cannot and should not shoulder the extra costs that come from the President’s failed and illegal economic policy — no matter how much the President wants them to.”
In addition to California, the states filing suit are Arizona, Oregon, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin. Those suits were filed by the state attorneys general, with the exception of Pennsylvania (Josh Shapiro) and Kentucky (Andy Beshear), in which cases Democratic governors filed them.
“The Tariff Action is arbitrary, capricious, and contrary to law. The Plaintiff States oppose forced labor in all its forms and support protections for workers around the globe. But the Administration cannot use forced labor as a pretext to continue its illegal tariff scheme,” the lawsuit itself says. “The tariffs the USTR imposed are so broad that they defy the USTR’s own stated aims and make a mockery of the statute used to justify them.”
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