A federal court invalidated President Trump’s recent tariffs on imported goods, following a lawsuit led by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and a coalition of 24 state attorneys general, according to a May 8 statement. The U.S. Court of International Trade found the tariffs were imposed contrary to law and granted summary judgment to strike them down.
The decision is significant because it addresses concerns about rising prices for American consumers and businesses, as well as questions over the limits of presidential authority in imposing taxes on imports. The ruling could have broad implications for future trade policy actions taken without congressional approval.
“I applaud this judgement, holding President Trump and his administration accountable for doubling down on his failed economic policies by imposing another round of price increases on Americans,” Raoul said. “This is a huge win for hardworking Americans who do not deserve to foot the bill for the administration’s unlawful tariffs.”
For more than a year, President Trump sought to impose tariffs using first the International Emergency Economic Powers Act—an effort previously ruled unlawful by the Supreme Court—and then Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974. The latter was used to justify new 10 percent tariffs on most products worldwide in response to trade deficits. However, the court determined that Section 122 allows such measures only when there are “large and serious balance-of-payment deficits,” which did not exist in this case.
Raoul and other attorneys general argued that these actions violated constitutional separation of powers and administrative law requirements. Their legal challenge followed an earlier suit from April 2025 against similar tariff efforts under emergency powers reserved for extraordinary threats from abroad.
The Illinois Attorney General has advocated for vulnerable groups including workers, immigrants, and seniors; handled thousands of consumer complaints each year; aimed to protect consumers while promoting safer communities; extended advocacy efforts across Illinois; partnered with law enforcement agencies; and offered services such as complaint filing related to consumer fraud or civil rights violations, according to the official website.
Joining Raoul in filing this lawsuit were attorneys general from Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia Washington Wisconsin as well as governors from Kentucky and Pennsylvania.
