Lansing, Michigan – Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has joined a multistate legal challenge seeking to halt a new round of tariffs imposed by the Trump administration, arguing the measures are unlawful and will place additional financial strain on American consumers and businesses.
Nessel, along with a coalition of attorneys general from across the country, filed a motion last week asking the U.S. Court of International Trade to intervene.
The states are requesting either a summary judgment or, alternatively, a preliminary injunction that would immediately block federal agencies from collecting the tariffs while the legal dispute unfolds.
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According to Nessel, the administration is once again attempting to impose tariffs without proper legal authority.
She pointed to earlier court decisions that rejected the president’s first effort to enact tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. Courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court, ruled that those earlier actions exceeded the authority granted under that law.
Despite that outcome, the administration has now turned to a different statute—Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974—to justify a new wave of tariffs. The policy places a 10 percent tariff on most imported products worldwide, citing concerns about trade deficits.
The coalition challenging the move argues the law cited by the administration does not apply in this situation. Section 122 allows tariffs only when the United States faces what the law describes as “large and serious balance-of-payments deficits.” According to the states’ filing, such a condition does not currently exist, and a trade deficit alone does not meet that legal threshold.
Nessel warned that the consequences could reach far beyond trade policy.
“he’s attempting to use a different law to impose another round of illegal tariffs despite losing in court, and the result will once again be higher costs for basic necessities. Michiganders cannot afford another round of unlawful tariffs, and my office will continue taking action against these policies to relieve some of the financial pressure on hardworking residents,” Michigan AG said.
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Research from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York cited in the filing also found that nearly 90 percent of tariff costs imposed last year were ultimately paid by American consumers and businesses.
The lawsuit, filed as State of Oregon, et al. v. Trump, et al., is currently before a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of International Trade. The court has scheduled oral arguments on the states’ request for April 10, 2026, to be held in person at the court’s ceremonial courtroom in New York City.
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Alongside Michigan, the challenge includes attorneys general from more than twenty states, as well as the governors of Kentucky and Pennsylvania, who have joined the effort to block the tariffs.