Attorney General Jay Jones has joined a coalition of attorneys general in filing a lawsuit to block the Trump Administration’s latest round of tariffs. The legal action challenges the administration’s decision to impose tariffs on consumers and businesses without approval from Congress.
“For more than a year, President Trump has tried to claim powers he is not entitled to under the law,” said Attorney General Jay Jones. “The Supreme Court already rejected this scheme once. Instead of respecting that decision, the Administration is taking further illegal actions that fly in the face of the Court’s ruling. These illegal tariffs are nothing more than a tax on Virginia families and when a President tries to impose them without legal authority, it is our responsibility to step in and defend the rule of law.”
Earlier this year, the Trump Administration argued that it could use the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to set tariffs at any level on any product from any country. The Supreme Court ruled those actions unlawful.
After losing in court, officials turned to Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 and imposed new tariffs up to 15 percent on most products worldwide. According to the lawsuit, this provision was never intended for broad global tariffs but only for situations involving serious balance-of-payments deficits.
The coalition argues that these new measures again violate federal law by ignoring Congress’s role in trade policy and bypassing required procedures.
Economists have found that most tariff costs are borne by American consumers and businesses. A Federal Reserve Bank of New York study found nearly 90 percent of tariff costs imposed in 2025 were paid by Americans rather than foreign governments.
For Virginia residents, projections indicate these tariffs could increase household expenses by $400-$3,000 per year, raise unemployment by 0.3 percentage points, and negatively affect manufacturing.
The case—State of Oregon, et al. v. Trump, et al.—was filed in U.S. Court of International Trade with leadership from Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield along with attorneys general from Arizona, California, New York, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Vermont Washington Wisconsin as well as Pennsylvania’s governor.
As outlined on its official website, the Office of Attorney General provides legal counsel and representation for state agencies while supporting civil rights enforcement and victim assistance programs throughout Virginia. The office also offers consumer protection resources such as identity theft prevention services and fraud reporting tools for residents across the Commonwealth.
