Attorney General Keith Ellison has joined a coalition of attorneys general from 24 states in filing a lawsuit to stop the Trump Administration’s latest round of tariffs. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. Court of International Trade, challenges President Donald Trump’s recent decision to impose new tariffs on products worldwide without congressional approval.
“When Donald Trump imposed his illegal tariffs and raised costs for families across Minnesota, I sued him and won at the Supreme Court,” said Attorney General Ellison. “To be clear: by May of 2025, the federal court that is uniquely responsible for dealing with tariffs and trade issues, the Court of International Trade, unanimously ruled that Trump’s tariffs were illegal. Yet, he did not change course, and he fought to keep imposing those unconstitutional costs on Americans for another nine months until the Supreme Court confirmed what he had already been told: he does not have the power to do this. But here we are again. Almost immediately after Trump’s first round of tariffs were struck down, he imposed a new round of illegal tariffs under an even more flimsy legal theory. Once again, I have no choice but to take Donald Trump to court to uphold the rule of law and protect Minnesotans’ pocketbooks from the damage his tariffs will cause.”
The dispute began when President Trump relied on the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) as justification for broad tariff increases. In May 2025, the Court of International Trade determined that IEEPA did not grant such authority. The administration kept the tariffs in place during a nine-month appeal process until two weeks ago when the Supreme Court also found these actions unlawful.
After losing in court, President Trump cited Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 as new grounds for imposing a 15 percent tariff on most imports globally, arguing it was needed to address trade deficits. However, Section 122 is designed for use only in cases involving serious balance-of-payments deficits—a different concept than trade deficits—raising further questions about legality.
Research from economists at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York has shown that nearly 90 percent of tariff costs implemented in 2025 were paid by American consumers and businesses.
Beth Benike, owner of Busy Baby in Minnesota, reported her business spent about $50,000 on tariffs since they were first enacted by President Trump and challenged by Attorney General Ellison. Her company saw revenue fall from an expected $5 million in 2025 to under $2 million due to inventory problems caused by these policies.
The lawsuit argues that this latest set of tariffs violates existing laws including constitutional separation of powers and breaches requirements under the Administrative Procedure Act.
Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield leads this case along with Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, California Attorney General Rob Bonta, and New York Attorney General Letitia James. Attorneys general from Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington State and Wisconsin are also parties to the suit alongside governors from Kentucky and Pennsylvania.
