Standing amid rows of almond trees on a Central Valley farm, California Governor Gavin Newsom launched his state’s most audacious legal challenge yet against the Trump administration — a lawsuit targeting the tariffs that have sent ripples through global trade. In doing so, California becomes the first US state to take legal action against President Donald Trump’s sweeping levies, asserting they were imposed under emergency powers that, the lawsuit contends, do not extend to tariff policy.
At the heart of the legal challenge is the International Emergency Economic Powers Act — a decades-old law that Trump cited to justify the tariffs. But Governor Newsom and California Attorney General Rob Bonta argue that the Act was never intended to grant such authority, and that only Congress holds the constitutional power to regulate trade.
“We’re asserting ourselves on behalf of 40 million Americans,” Newsom declared, pointing to California’s massive agricultural and manufacturing footprint as grounds for taking the lead. “California has been disproportionately affected,” he said, as the state reels from the economic consequences of tariffs that range from 10% for most countries to a staggering 145% on imports from China.
The location of the announcement was more than symbolic. California produces 82% of the world’s almonds — a crop especially hard-hit by retaliatory trade measures. The state is also the country’s sole producer of several specialty crops including artichokes, figs, olives, walnuts, and raisins, making it uniquely vulnerable to disruptions in global trade flows.
Since the start of the year, the state has filed 15 lawsuits against the Trump administration — this one striking at the heart of the president’s economic agenda. The lawsuit even cites recent Supreme Court rulings that limited President Biden’s authority to forgive student loans, arguing that if the court is to remain consistent, it must also block Trump’s use of emergency powers to unilaterally impose tariffs.
“The Supreme Court called Biden’s plan a transformative expansion of presidential authority. If they’re consistent, this lawsuit is a lock,” Newsom said.
The White House, meanwhile, quickly dismissed the lawsuit. Spokesman Kush Desai accused the governor of misplacing priorities, saying: “Instead of focusing on California’s rampant crime, homelessness, and unaffordability, Gavin Newsom is spending his time trying to block President Trump’s historic efforts to finally address the national emergency of our country’s persistent goods trade deficits.”
Trump’s administration has argued that the tariffs are meant to rebalance trade and bring manufacturing jobs back to American soil. Since his inauguration, there’s been a wave of tariff announcements, with the administration claiming these import taxes will boost domestic production, increase revenue, and spark investment.
But the rollout has been anything but smooth. Trump recently backtracked on several of the tariffs — announcing a 90-day pause for most trading partners just hours after a broad package of levies kicked in. Only China remains excluded from the reprieve.
While California’s lawsuit is the most high-profile to date, it’s not alone. Several small businesses and even a civil rights group have also challenged the tariffs, raising constitutional concerns about executive overreach.
Legal scholars note that no president has ever used the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose tariffs, according to congressional research. With California now stepping into the ring, the fight over Trump’s trade war has entered a new phase — one that may well be decided in the courts.
