NEW YORK — A dozen states sued the Trump administration in the U.S. Court of International Trade in New York on Wednesday to stop its  saying it is unlawful and has brought chaos to the American economy.
The lawsuit said the policy put in place by President Donald Trump was subject to his “whims rather than the sound exercise of lawful authority.â€
It challenged Trump’s claim that he could arbitrarily impose tariffs based on the . The suit asks the court to declare the tariffs to be illegal, and to block government agencies and its officers from enforcing them.
The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.
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Trucks move amid containers stacked at a container terminal port on the Yangtze River in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality on Sunday, April 20, 2025. (Chinatopix Via AP)
The states listed as plaintiffs in the lawsuit were Oregon, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York and Vermont.
In a release, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes called Trump's tariff scheme “insane.â€
She said it was “not only economically reckless — it is illegal.â€
The lawsuit maintained that only Congress has the power to impose tariffs and that the president can only invoke the International Emergency Economic Powers Act when an emergency presents an “unusual and extraordinary threat†from abroad.
“By claiming the authority to impose immense and ever-changing tariffs on whatever goods entering the United States he chooses, for whatever reason he finds convenient to declare an emergency, the President has upended the constitutional order and brought chaos to the American economy,†the lawsuit said.
Workers load coal on trucks at a coal yard port on the Yangtze River in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality on Sunday, April 20, 2025. (Chinatopix Via AP)
Last week, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, sued the Trump administration in U.S. District Court in the Northern District of California over the tariff policy, saying his state could lose billions of dollars in revenue as the largest importer in the country.
White House spokesperson Kush Desai responded to Newsom's lawsuit, saying the Trump administration "remains committed to addressing this national emergency that’s decimating America’s industries and leaving our workers behind with every tool at our disposal, from tariffs to negotiations.â€
Photos: Trump's tariffs impact factory that makes US-themed nutcrackers
The limited-edition nutcrackers titled "Resolute Desk of the President," featuring a seated figure signing a "presidential proclamation," is seen at the Steinbach-Volkskunst nutcracker factory in Marienberg, Germany, April 15.
A woman works on nutcrackers of a cowboy at the Steinbach-Volkskunst nutcracker factory in Marienberg, Germany, Tuesday, April 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
A woman uses hairspray to fixe the hair on a nutcracker titled "Resolute Desk of the President," featuring a seated figure signing a "presidential proclamation," at the Steinbach-Volkskunst nutcracker factory in Marienberg, Germany, Tuesday, April 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
Rico Paul, manager and owner of the Steinbach-Volkskunst nutcracker factory, poses for a photograph inside his factory, in Marienberg, Germany, April 15.
Fabrics for nutcracker costumes are stored on the shelf at the Steinbach-Volkskunst nutcracker factory in Marienberg, Germany, Tuesday, April 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
Nutcrackers are displayed at the Steinbach-Volkskunst nutcracker factory in Marienberg, Germany, April 15.
The desk of the limited-edition nutcracker titled "Resolute Desk of the President," featuring a seated figure signing a "presidential proclamation," is seen at the Steinbach-Volkskunst nutcracker factory in Marienberg, Germany, Tuesday, April 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
A nutcracker commemorating the coronation of Britain's King Charles III, right, stands alongside other nutcrackers at the Steinbach-Volkskunst nutcracker factory in Marienberg, Germany, Tuesday, April 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
A man walks on the road near the Steinbach-Volkskunst nutcracker factory in Marienberg, Germany, April 15.
A man works on a lathe in the carpentry of the Steinbach-Volkskunst nutcracker factory in Marienberg, Germany, Tuesday, April 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
Two limited-edition nutcrackers titled "Resolute Desk of the President," featuring a seated figure signing a "presidential proclamation," are seen on a table at the Steinbach-Volkskunst nutcracker factory in Marienberg, Germany, Tuesday, April 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
A woman fixes a coat on a nutcracker titled "Resolute Desk of the President," featuring a seated figure signing a "presidential proclamation," at the Steinbach-Volkskunst nutcracker factory in Marienberg, Germany, Tuesday, April 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
An Uncle Sam nutcracker with an American flag, center, stands between other nutcrackers at the Steinbach-Volkskunst nutcracker factory in Marienberg, Germany, April 15.
From right, nutcrackers showing Britain's King Charles III, Statue of Liberty and Uncle Sam are displayed at the Steinbach-Volkskunst nutcracker factory in Marienberg, Germany, Tuesday, April 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
A woman combs the hair on a nutcracker titled "Resolute Desk of the President," featuring a seated figure signing a "presidential proclamation," at the Steinbach-Volkskunst nutcracker factory in Marienberg, Germany, Tuesday, April 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
