Attorney General Tong Seeks to Halt Tariffs in Landmark Case at U.S. Supreme Court

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11/05/2025

Attorney General Tong Seeks to Halt Tariffs in Landmark Case at U.S. Supreme Court

(Hartford, CT) – Today, the U.S. Supreme Court of the United States will hear oral arguments in a landmark case challenging the federal government’s use of emergency powers to impose sweeping tariffs. Connecticut and a coalition of 11 other states filed the lawsuit, which tests whether the President exceeded his authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).

“American families are bankrolling Trump’s irrational and erratic tariff war, and none of us can afford for this lawless overreach to continue. Trump lost in the Court of International Trade. He lost in the Court of Appeals. He’s wasting our money and inflicting lasting damage on our economic and world standing by continuing to push this fight. It’s time for the Supreme Court to stand up to this president, protect the rule of law, and stop this damaging economic war for good,” said Attorney General Tong.

Background

On April 23, 2025, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Oregon and Vermont filed the suit in the U.S. Court of International Trade.

The case challenges the President’s use of IEEPA to impose broad tariffs on imports, arguing that statute does not delegate Congress’s tariff powers under Article I of the U.S. Constitution.

• The tariffs at issue included sweeping “reciprocal” tariffs on nearly all imports, as well as targeted tariffs affecting Canada, Mexico, and China, among others.
• In May 2025, the United States Court of International Trade ruled in favor of the states, finding the tariffs exceeded the President’s authority under IEEPA.
• The federal government appealed against that ruling. On August 29, 2025, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed that ruling—finding the President’s tariff orders went beyond the statutory grant of authority and were therefore unlawful.
• The Supreme Court agreed to expedited review of the Federal Circuit decision.

The Supreme Court’s ruling will determine whether the President can unilaterally impose tariffs under emergency powers and what limits the Constitution places on executive trade authority.

Twitter: @AGWilliamTong

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Media Contact:

Elizabeth Benton
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