U.S. Court of Appeals sides with New York Attorney General James and nearly a dozen other states in ruling Trump Administration’s ‘Emergency’ tariffs illegal

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled that the Trump administration’s tariffs issued under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) are illegal.

The court ruled in favor of Attorney General James and a coalition of 11 other attorneys general who sued the Trump administration in April for violating the law by imposing massive new tariffs under IEEPA.

According to the office of Letitia James, the Trump tariffs are to blame for causing severe economic turmoil for workers and businesses. On the other hand, President Trump argues that aggressive implementation of tariffs will help promote domestic manufacturing, while also addressing trade imbalances.

“If these tariffs ever went away, it would be a total disaster for the country,” the President wrote on Truth Social.

In April, the President declared a national emergency over foreign trade and economic practices, thus imposing responsive tariffs to strengthen the U.S. and its economic position, according to the White House press room.

In response, Attorney General James and the coalition of other states sued President Trump and his administration for unlawfully imposing tariffs under IEEPA.

In May, the United States Court of International Trade ruled in favor of Attorney General James and the coalition, deciding that the Trump administration’s tariffs issued under IEEPA are invalid.

The U.S. Court of Appeals today affirmed that the Trump administration does not have the authority to impose these tariffs by executive order under IEEPA.

“Once again, a court has ruled that the president cannot invent a fake economic emergency to justify billions of dollars in tariffs," said New York Attorney General Letitia James. 

"These tariffs are a tax on Americans — they raise costs for working families and businesses throughout our country, causing more inflation and job losses. This decision is yet another major victory in our efforts to uphold the law and protect New Yorkers’ wallets.”

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