25 States Sue Trump Over Forced-Labor Pretext Tariffs

A coalition of 25 Democratic-led states, including California, Arizona, and New York, filed a lawsuit in the U.S. Court of International Trade on August 3, 2026, to block new import tariffs. The plaintiffs argue that Donald Trump is using allegations of forced labor as a pretext to reimpose sweeping tariffs that were previously struck down by the Supreme Court and the Court of International Trade. The challenged tariffs, ranging from 10% to 12.5%, were implemented on July 24 under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 and affect 60 trading partners, including the European Union, India, and the United Kingdom.

Parallel to these measures, the administration imposed 50% tariffs on $20 billion of Canadian imports, invoking the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930 for the first time in 96 years. These tariffs, effective August 19, follow Canada's refusal to renegotiate the USMCA. Other recent actions include 25% tariffs on Brazilian imports and Section 301 tariffs on roughly 80 countries.

White House spokesman Kush Desai defended the Section 301 measures as a legally durable tool to address policies that burden U.S. commerce. Conversely, state attorneys general and Governor Kathy Hochul characterized the tariffs as illegal taxes that increase costs for American families. President Trump has criticized the Supreme Court for previous rulings that limited his tariff authority, claiming those decisions cost the nation trillions of dollars.