Attorney General Ford Wins Lawsuit Against Trump Administration’s Illegal Tariffs - Again.

Carson City, NV — Today, Nevada Attorney General Aaron D. Ford announced he has secured an order invalidating President Trump’s latest efforts to impose illegal tariffs on products purchased by American consumers and businesses. A federal court granted summary judgment to a coalition of 24 states, striking down those tariffs.

“The court’s decision today is a win for Nevadans and the Silver State’s economy as a whole,” said Attorney General Ford. “As many Nevadans struggle with day-to-day expenses, President Trump attempted to double down on his unlawful and economically disastrous tariffs. We took him to court. We won. I will continue to fight any unlawful policy that hurts Nevadans."

For more than a year, President Trump has unlawfully attempted to impose tariffs on essential goods purchased by American consumers and businesses. Initially, the President invoked the International Emergency Economic Powers Act — but the Supreme Court ruled those tariffs were unlawful. The president then attempted to use a different law that has never been used before — Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 — and imposed 10% tariffs on most products worldwide, supposedly in response to trade deficits.

Today, the U.S. Court of International Trade ruled that those tariffs are illegal, too. Section 122 allows tariffs only when there are “large and serious balance-of-payment deficits.” But no such thing exists — a trade deficit is not a balance-of-payment deficit. As the court ruled, the President’s tariffs proclamation “is invalid, and the tariffs imposed on Plaintiffs are unauthorized by law.”

Joining Attorney General Ford in this case are the co-lead attorneys general of Oregon, Arizona, California and New York, as well as the attorneys general of Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin, and the Governors of Kentucky and Pennsylvania.

A copy of the ruling is available here.

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