A conservative legal group, the New Civil Liberties Alliance (NCLA), filed a lawsuit on Thursday seeking to block former President Donald Trump’s new tariffs on imports from China, arguing that he overstepped his authority.
The lawsuit, filed in a federal court in Florida, alleges that Trump did not have the legal right to impose sweeping tariffs unveiled on Wednesday, as well as duties authorized on February 1 under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
“By invoking emergency powers to impose an across-the-board tariff on imports from the Chinese mainland that the statute does not authorize, President Trump has misused that power, usurped Congress’s right to control tariffs, and upset the Constitution’s separation of powers,” said Andrew Morris, NCLA’s senior litigation counsel, in a statement.
The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
NCLA filed the lawsuit on behalf of Simplified, a Florida-based retailer specializing in home management products. The company argues that the tariffs will significantly impact their business and increase costs for consumers.
On Wednesday, Trump announced that China would face a new 34% tariff on top of the 20% he imposed earlier this year, bringing the total levies to 54%. The move has raised concerns among businesses and trade groups who fear escalating trade tensions between the two nations.
The lawsuit seeks to block the implementation and enforcement of the tariffs and reverse Trump’s changes to the U.S. tariff schedule.
