Arizona joins multistate lawsuit to stop President Trump’s new 15% tariff plan

PHOENIX – Arizona is part of a multistate lawsuit filed in federal court Thursday to stop the tariff plan President Donald Trump announced last month after his previous levies were ruled illegal.

“Two weeks ago, the Supreme Court of the United States told Donald Trump that his tariffs were illegal, that he had been taxing the American people without the legal authority to do so, that he had to stop. So, what did he do? He threw a temper tantrum and he did it again,” Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes said during a press conference after the suit was filed in the United States Court of International Trade.

After his court loss last month, Trump said he would impose 10% tariffs on much of the world under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974. He later said the rate would be 15%.

According to the new lawsuit, Section 122 of the Trade Act has never before been invoked to impose tariffs.

“He’s calling it a fix. It is not. It is the same illegal power grab under a different statute than he used the last time,” Mayes said.

Trump administration vows to defend new tariff plan

The White House said Trump is acting within his power and vowed to “vigorously defend” his tariff plan.

“The president is using his authority granted by Congress to address fundamental international payments problems and to deal with our country’s large and serious balance-of-payments deficits,” spokesman Kush Desai said.

This is the 37th lawsuit the Arizona Attorney General’s Office has joined since Trump returned to the White House in early 2025.

The state was part of the case that led to the Feb. 20 Supreme Court ruling that struck down the president’s previous tariffs, which he based on the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.

“Researchers at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York found that nearly 90% of the cost of Trump’s tariffs are paid for by American consumers and businesses — not foreign countries, not foreign manufacturers, but us, residents of all of our states and Americans across this country,” Mayes said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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