Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell announced on Mar. 5 that she has joined a coalition of 24 states in filing a lawsuit against the Trump administration’s latest attempt to impose tariffs on American consumers and businesses. The legal action challenges President Trump’s recent efforts to increase tariffs globally without congressional approval.
The issue is significant for Massachusetts residents, as rising costs remain a major concern. “At a time when affordability is the number one issue facing Massachusetts residents, it’s unconscionable that the Trump Administration continues to raise costs by attempting to impose yet another round of unlawful tariffs,” Campbell said. “As Attorney General, I’m fighting every day to lower housing prices, protect consumers, empower businesses, and make life more affordable for our residents. Massachusetts residents deserve a president who is willing to partner with us in that mission, not actively work against it.”
According to the Attorney General’s office, President Trump has imposed tariffs over the past year without proper legal authority. Initially, he cited the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) as justification for imposing tariffs of any amount on any product from any country for any length of time. However, two weeks ago, the Supreme Court ruled that these IEEPA-based tariffs were unlawful.
Following this court decision, President Trump invoked Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974—a law never previously used in this way—to announce new 15 percent tariffs on most products worldwide. The coalition argues that Section 122 only allows such measures under specific circumstances involving “large and serious balance-of-payments deficits,” which they say does not apply in this case.
A recent analysis by researchers at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York found that nearly 90 percent of tariff costs in 2025 were borne by American consumers and businesses. In Massachusetts specifically, previous tariffs on Canadian fuels threatened to increase gas and home heating prices by hundreds of millions of dollars and raised costs on other goods such as dairy, lumber, cars, and seafood.
The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. Court of International Trade and claims that the administration’s actions exceed statutory authority and violate constitutional separation of powers as well as the Administrative Procedure Act. Attorneys general from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin have joined Campbell in filing this suit along with governors from Kentucky and Pennsylvania.
