Court orders Trump to halt tariffs after Oregon-led lawsuit

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The U.S. Court of International Trade ordered tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump to be halted after a multi-state lawsuit led by Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield.

According to Wednesday’s court ruling, the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977 does not afford President Trump the “authority to impose unlimited tariffs on goods from nearly every country in the world.” Rather, the ruling affirmed Congress’ “exclusive powers” to regulate commerce with foreign countries, including in the form of collecting taxes, according to the Constitution.

AG Rayfield described the court’s ruling as “a victory not just for Oregon, but for working families, small businesses, and everyday Americans.”

Rayfield led the lawsuit against Trump alongside Arizona AG Kris Mayes, with several other states joining.

“We brought this case because the Constitution doesn’t give any president unchecked authority to upend the economy. This ruling reaffirms that our laws matter, and that trade decisions can’t be made on the president’s whim,” Rayfield said.

The existing IEEPA tariffs would be halted under the court ruling, with planned increases also stopped. That includes the proposed 145% tariffs on imports from China and 50% tariffs on imports from the European Union, Rayfield’s office said.

The other states that joined the lawsuit against Trump included the attorney generals for Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York and Vermont.