Attorney General Kwame Raoul, together with a coalition of 22 attorneys general and the governors of Kentucky and Pennsylvania, has filed a lawsuit seeking to block President Trump’s latest round of tariffs. The legal action challenges the administration’s efforts to increase tariffs globally without approval from Congress.
“Despite our clear and decisive Supreme Court win in our first illegal tariffs lawsuit, President Trump is doubling down on his failed economic policies by imposing another round of price increases on Americans,” Raoul said. “Since the Trade Act of 1974 was enacted, no prior president has attempted to use the extraordinary power of Section 122 to unilaterally impose sweeping, arbitrary tariffs. I am proud to join my colleagues in yet another fight to prevent hardworking Americans from footing the bill for the Trump administration’s unlawful tariffs.”
The new lawsuit claims that these tariff measures violate federal law, disrupt constitutional separation of powers, and breach the Administrative Procedure Act.
In April 2025, Raoul and other state officials previously sued over an earlier attempt by the administration to impose tariffs. That suit argued that only Congress has authority to levy taxes. The administration had cited powers under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), which applies only during emergencies involving unusual threats from abroad. Raoul and others maintained that this law did not give the president such tariff authority.
Two weeks ago, the Supreme Court ruled against President Trump’s use of IEEPA for imposing those tariffs.
Following this decision, President Trump turned to Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974—a provision never before used—to announce new 15% tariffs on most global products. The latest lawsuit argues that Section 122 allows such actions only in limited situations involving large balance-of-payments deficits. According to Raoul and his coalition, a trade deficit does not meet this criterion.
The previous round of tariffs threatened Illinois’ economy by increasing costs for taxpayers at both state and local levels. For example, estimates from the Illinois Department of Transportation indicated that transportation project costs could have risen by $249 million to $585 million over two years due to these measures. Although last month’s Supreme Court ruling may have reduced some projected expenses related to construction projects and technology purchases in Illinois, Raoul says that newly imposed tariffs again put financial pressure on the state.
The attorneys general joining Raoul include representatives from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin; governors from Kentucky and Pennsylvania are also participating.
The Illinois Attorney General’s office has advocated for vulnerable groups such as workers and seniors (official website), handled thousands of consumer complaints annually (official website), promoted safer communities while supporting environmental issues (official website), extended its advocacy statewide (official website), partnered with law enforcement agencies (official website), and provided services including complaint filing for consumer fraud or civil rights concerns (official website).