Overview
- On Monday, Aug. 3, a coalition of 25 state attorneys general filed a complaint at the U.S. Court of International Trade seeking a pause and invalidation of tariffs the administration rolled out in late July.
- The duties are roughly 10% to 12.5% and cover imports from about 59–60 countries plus the European Union, a set of economies that officials say account for roughly 99% of U.S. import flows.
- The states argue the administration is trying to replace tariffs the Supreme Court struck down in February by shifting legal authority to Section 301 and that USTR skipped the thorough country‑specific investigations the law requires.
- The White House and USTR defend the measures as lawful uses of Section 301 to target goods tied to forced labor, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection has been processing large refunds—roughly $100 billion to $128 billion—for the earlier, court‑rejected tariffs.
- If judges grant preliminary relief the duties could be paused, but until a court rules the tariffs remain in force and could raise prices for consumers and costs for small businesses while multiple parallel lawsuits play out.