Twelve US states filed a lawsuit on Wednesday in the US Court of International Trade in New York against President Donald Trump's tariff policies.
The lawsuit alleges that United States trade policy "now depends on the whims of the president," rather than the conscientious exercise of his lawful powers.
"By usurping the authority to impose massive and ever-changing tariffs of his choosing on any goods entering the United States, for whatever reason he deems appropriate to declare a state of emergency, the President has undermined the constitutional order and brought chaos to the American economy."
The plaintiffs argue that, under the US Constitution, only Congress has the authority to impose taxes and duties, not the president.
Since taking office, Trump has announced a series of far-reaching tariffs on imports, causing turbulence in stock markets and financial markets.
In early April, he announced that the US was imposing general tariffs of at least 10 percent on all imports into the country, plus additional levies on a host of trading partners.
Although many of the planned tariffs have been suspended for 90 days to allow for trade talks, special tariffs of up to 145 percent remain in place on Chinese goods. Beijing has retaliated with tariffs of up to 125 percent on American products.
The lawsuit was filed by the states of Oregon, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York and Vermont, which have Democratic governors, as well as the Republican states of Arizona and Nevada.
The plaintiffs are asking the court to lift the tariffs, arguing that "the president does not have the authority to arbitrarily impose tariffs as he did here."
Last week, the state of California filed a separate lawsuit against the Trump administration over the tariffs in federal court.
According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), sweeping US tariffs and corresponding retaliatory measures are leading to a rise in global public debt.
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