Two U.S. small businesses initiated legal action Friday in the United States trade court in New York, contesting President Donald Trump’s most recent tariff measures that apply to imports from 60 trading partners.
In the complaint, the companies assert that the new tariffs go beyond the president’s statutory authority to levy taxes on imported goods. They argue that, for the tariffs to be valid, the administration needed to produce more narrowly tailored, country-specific findings related to forced labor; the businesses say those findings are missing or insufficient.
The lawsuit is backed by a nonprofit legal group that has previously won cases against earlier rounds of tariffs. That group’s involvement underscores the plaintiffs’ contention that the current measures replicate a pattern seen in prior tariff actions that courts have found unlawful.
According to the filing, the plaintiffs view the recent tariff wave as an attempt to reinstate import duties that the U.S. Supreme Court already declared illegal. The businesses say the structure and legal basis of the latest tariffs follow the same approach used in earlier policies that were subsequently judged to be outside the president’s authority.
The complaint focuses on the legal question of executive power over trade remedies and the statutory prerequisites the administration must meet when imposing broad import restrictions. The plaintiffs maintain that the administration did not fulfill those requirements when applying tariffs across 60 trading partners.
The challenge aims to have the trade court review the legality of the tariffs and the administration’s reliance on its asserted authority. Beyond the immediate legal claims, the case highlights ongoing litigation over the scope of presidential power to enact trade measures without additional, specific findings that tie tariffs to particular legal predicates.
Summary
Two U.S. small businesses sued in the U.S. trade court in New York, arguing that President Trump’s tariffs on imports from 60 trading partners exceed presidential authority, lack required country-by-country forced labor findings, and seek to reinstate tariffs previously deemed unlawful. A nonprofit legal group that won earlier challenges is supporting the plaintiffs.