Attorney General Tong Statement as U.S. Supreme Court Strikes Down Trump Tariffs

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02/20/2026

Attorney General Tong Statement as U.S. Supreme Court Strikes Down Trump Tariffs

Connecticut and Ten Other States Had Sued and Won in Court of International Trade and Court of Appeals

(Hartford, CT) – Attorney General William Tong released a statement following the 6-3 decision from the U.S. Supreme Court invalidating President Donald Trump’s use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose sweeping tariffs.

“A massive defeat for Donald Trump and a major win for American families and workers. We’ve all been paying out of pocket for this lawless and irrational tariff war. Connecticut and ten other states stood up to the President and sued. We won in the Court of International trade. We won in the Court of Appeals. We’ve won now in the Supreme Court. Mr. President, what’s your plan now to give us our money back?” said Attorney General Tong.

On April 23, 2025, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Oregon and Vermont filed the suit in the U.S. Court of International Trade, arguing that the President had exceeded his authority under IEEPA.

The case challenged the President’s use of IEEPA to impose broad tariffs on imports, arguing that statute does not delegate Congress’s tariff powers under Article I of the U.S. Constitution.

• The tariffs at issue included sweeping “reciprocal” tariffs on nearly all imports, as well as targeted tariffs affecting Canada, Mexico, and China, among others.
• In May 2025, the United States Court of International Trade ruled in favor of the states, finding the tariffs exceeded the President’s authority under IEEPA.
• The federal government appealed against that ruling. On August 29, 2025, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed that ruling—finding the President’s tariff orders went beyond the statutory grant of authority and were therefore unlawful.
• The Supreme Court agreed to expedited review of the Federal Circuit decision.

Twitter: @AGWilliamTong

Facebook: CT Attorney General

Media Contact:

Elizabeth Benton
elizabeth.benton@ct.gov

Consumer Inquiries:

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attorney.general@ct.gov