Lawsuit says president does not have authority to impose levies and demands refunds from federal government

A coalition of Democratic attorneys general and governors across 24 US states are suing Donald Trump to block his latest round of tariffs.

The White House is planning to enact a new 15% tariff on all imports after the supreme court declared Trump’s “liberation day” tariffs illegal. The tariffs have yet to go into effect, though the White House said the new rate would start this week.

The lawsuit, led by New York’s attorney general, Letitia James, argues that Trump does not have the authority to impose these tariffs, and demands states are refunded for tariff costs. Attorneys general from 21 other states, along with the governors of Kentucky and Pennsylvania, are joined in the suit, which is expected to be filed on Thursday in the US court of international trade.

The attorneys filing the lawsuit argue that no president has ever issued tariffs under section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, which they say was created for outdated monetary balance problems. The law caps the tariff rate and time to 15% for a maximum of 150 days.