2026-08-04 · contested story
Arizona AG joins lawsuit over Trump’s new tariffs, calls them illegal
On July 24, 2026, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes joined a coalition of 24-25 states in filing a lawsuit against the Trump administration's latest round of tariffs, calling them illegal and arguing they are a 'pretext' for replacing import taxes struck down by the Supreme Court in February. The new tariffs, ranging from 10% to 12.5% and imposed under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, hit more than 80 countries covering roughly 99.4% of U.S. imports, ostensibly to punish nations that failed to crack down on goods produced with forced labor. Mayes, co-leading the suit, framed the tariffs as an unlawful tax on Arizona families and businesses that exceeds executive authority and bypasses Congress's constitutional taxing power.
How each side frames it
left
"Our states will not stand by while the administration tries for a third time to impose global taxes on Americans and Arizonans without legal authority."
"And we all know that a tariff is just a tax. A tax on Arizonans' grocery bills. A tax on the everyday operations of small businesses across our state. A tax that the president has unlawfully slapped on Americans."
"But Mayes said the tariffs aren't linked to forced labor at all. 'Entire categories of goods known to involve forced labor are completely exempted by these tariffs. And countless goods with no connection to forced labor are included.'"
"the President has upended the constitutional order and brought chaos to the American economy."
"Donald Trump dug up a zombie law to make things even more expensive for Americans... Trump's next trade scheme is ordering USTR to reconstruct his illegal global tariffs under the guise of addressing forced labor"
center
"The United States is using its lawful authority to obtain the elimination of unreasonable acts, policies, and practices that burden U.S. commerce"
"Twenty-five states, including Arizona, sued the Trump administration Monday over its latest tariffs, calling them a pretext for replacing import taxes the Supreme Court struck down in February."
"The court is open to saying, 'Well, the law does X, Y and Z.' The court is less likely to say, 'We don't agree with forced labor being a problem'... so I think it's less likely that a court will want to actually second-guess the administration here."
"Human rights watchers say that it's reasonable to be skeptical of the motivation behind the tariffs. But they say the levies could make an impact on the problem of forced labor."
"Trump used Section 301 to impose big tariffs on China in his first term, and they survived court challenges."
right
"This doesn't protect Arizona, this protects China you are literally siding with China Mexico and India against Arizona and America."
"The Supreme Court will reverse. Rightfully so."
"Canada is choking America. Trump is right to make them pay"
"While the fines are bad news for Google, they are also bad news for consumers worldwide, who may soon feel the effects of tariffs imposed by the United States."
What each side left out
The left left out — covered by the AP News & PBS & WBAL-TV
- Section 301 tariffs survived prior court challenges and are considered legally durable
- the forced-labor tariffs prompted some countries like India to actually adopt forced-labor import bans
The left left out — covered by the PBS
- experts note forced labor is a genuine global problem with ~27.6 million people affected and import bans can be an effective tool
The right left out — covered by the MS NOW & Arizona's Family & NPR
- the tariffs are broadly unpopular and polls show Americans dislike them
- the forced-labor justification exempts goods known to involve forced labor while including unrelated goods
The right left out — covered by the InsiderNJ & USA Today & CNN
- the administration lost repeatedly in court on prior tariff authorities (IEEPA, Section 122)
- the effective tariff rate change is minimal because it largely preserves existing duties
The center left out — covered by the Arizona's Family & Washington Examiner
- strong emotional/ideological framing of tariffs as either lawless overreach or patriotic defense
What's actually true?
[verified] Arizona and 24 other states (25 total) filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration challenging the new tariffs as unlawful.
[verified] The new tariffs range from 10% to 12.5% and affect countries providing about 99.4% of U.S. imports.
[verified] The tariffs were imposed under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, which permits import taxes against countries found to engage in unfair trade practices.
[verified] The Supreme Court struck down Trump's earlier IEEPA-based tariffs in February 2026, ruling he exceeded his authority.
[verified] This is the third lawsuit filed by attorneys general/parties against the Trump administration's latest tariffs.
[verified] The new forced-labor tariffs took effect at 12:01 a.m. ET Friday, July 24, precisely when the temporary Section 122 10% tariffs expired.
[contested] The forced-labor tariffs exempt some goods known to involve forced labor (e.g., coffee, cobalt, frozen beef) while including goods with no connection to forced labor.
[verified] The two small-business lawsuits (Liberty Justice Center) preceded the states' suit and were filed in the Court of International Trade.
The narrative clash
Whether the lawsuit against the tariffs is likely to succeed
Left: The Court of Appeals sided with us in the case against Donald Trump's illegal tariff scheme.
Right: The Supreme Court will reverse. Rightfully so.
Who the tariff lawsuit actually serves
Left: When costs rise because of illegal tariffs, families and businesses pay the price and our states feel those impacts directly. Every Arizonan has paid more at the grocery store because Donald Trump refuses to follow the law.
Right: This doesn't protect Arizona, this protects China you are literally siding with China Mexico and India against Arizona and America.
Whether the forced-labor justification is genuine
Left: Entire categories of goods known to involve forced labor are completely exempted by these tariffs. And countless goods with no connection to forced labor are included.
Right: A foreign country's failure to impose and effectively enforce a prohibition on the importation of goods produced with forced labor is unreasonable and burdens U.S. commerce, including American workers, and must be addressed.
129 sources analyzed
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