Wisconsin DOJ Sues Trump Administration Again to Stop Illegal Tariffs

MADISON, Wis. — The Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) today joined a coalition in filing another lawsuit against the Trump administration’s efforts to impose illegal tariffs on American consumers and businesses. The case challenges the administration’s recent decision to increase tariffs on more than 80 countries that together account for 99.4% of all U.S. imports — costs that will be passed along to Americans already struggling to pay the price of essential consumer goods.

“As these tariffs illustrate, the Trump administration isn’t just failing to sufficiently address affordability challenges—it’s actively making them worse,” said AG Kaul. “The American people shouldn’t have to keep paying extra for goods because of illegal tariffs.”

For more than a year, President Trump has damaged the American economy by imposing tariffs without the legal authority to do so. Initially, the President claimed that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) allowed him to impose tariffs of any amount, on any product, from any country, for any length of time. In February, the Supreme Court rejected that argument, concluding that the IEEPA tariffs were unlawful. President Trump then turned to a separate law that had never been used before — Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 — and announced10 percent tariffs on most products worldwide. But Wisconsin and 23 other states challenged those tariffs, and they were declared unlawful.

President Trump has now turned to another law — Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 — and directed the United States Trade Representative (USTR) to investigate the European Union (EU) and 59 other countries to determine whether the EU and those countries are doing enough to combat forced labor in global trade. Late last month, the USTR imposed 10 percent and 12.5 percent tariff rates on nearly every economy that trades with the U.S. In other words, instead of taking actions that would combat forced labor, the USTR reached a foregone conclusion and imposed across-the-board tariffs similar to those that courts have struck down twice before.

Today’s lawsuit challenges this latest round of tariffs, contending that these actions exceed the administration’s legal authority and violate the Administrative Procedure Act. The case was filed in the U.S. Court of International Trade.

A recent analysis by researchers at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York concluded that nearly 90 percent of the costs of tariffs in 2025 were paid by American consumers and businesses. By imposing another round of price increases on American consumers and businesses, the Trump administration is tripling down on failed economic policies.

Joining Wisconsin DOJ in filing this lawsuit are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Virginia, Vermont, and Washington, as well as the governors of Kentucky and Pennsylvania.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.

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