Following California, 11 more U.S. states sue Trump administration

Following California, 11 more U.S. states have sued Trump and his administration, asking the court to rule that its new tariffs are illegal.

The plaintiffs who filed a new lawsuit on Wednesday include New York, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Minnesota, New Mexico, Oregon and Vermont. These states are basically traditionally pro-Democratic.

The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. Court of International Trade.

The lawsuit documents allege that under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (the U.S. law that Trump cited when implementing his tariff policy), the president has no right to impose tariffs at will.

"No other president has ever used the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose tariffs. In the nearly 50 years since IEEPA was enacted, despite the United States' leadership in the global anti-drug campaign and long-standing trade deficits, no president has imposed tariffs on the grounds of a national emergency," the lawsuit documents state.

“Because these tariffs are unlawful, the court should declare them invalid, enjoin the defendant agencies and officials from enforcing them, and undo the agency actions that implemented them.”

Since taking office, Trump has issued a series of executive orders imposing tariffs on foreign imports, including a 25% tariff on products from Canada and Mexico, a 25% tariff on auto imports, and a 10% tariff on goods from most countries in the world.

“The Constitution gives Congress, not the President, the power to ‘make and collect taxes, duties, imposts, and excise duties,’ ” the lawsuit states. The president’s actions “subvert the constitutional order and bring chaos to the American economy.”

“The President does not have the power to impose taxes on a whim, but that is exactly what President Trump has done with tariffs,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement about the lawsuit.

"President Trump's crazy tariff plan is not only economically reckless, but also illegal." Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes said, "Arizona cannot afford President Trump's massive tax increase. No matter what the White House claims, tariffs are a tax that will be passed on to Arizona consumers."

On the 16th of this month, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced that he would sue the Trump administration over tariffs, accusing the latter of "illegal" abuse of tariff policies. This is the first state government in the United States to challenge Trump's tariff "stick".

On the 14th of this month, five small businesses filed a similar lawsuit against Trump in the U.S. International Trade Court, questioning the legality of the new tariffs for the same reason.