Attorney General Jay Jones has joined a coalition of attorneys general in a lawsuit against the Trump Administration to challenge the latest round of tariffs imposed without congressional approval. The suit claims these tariffs increase costs for consumers and businesses in Virginia.
“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 the International Emergency Economic Powers Act gave the president authority to set tariffs broadly. The Supreme Court found those actions unlawful.
After that ruling, officials turned to Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 and set tariffs up to 15 percent on most products globally. This statute has not previously been used for such broad measures and is intended for specific situations involving serious balance-of-payments deficits.
The lawsuit contends that this approach again violates federal law by bypassing Congress’s role in trade policy and ignoring required procedures.
Research from economists shows that nearly 90 percent of tariff costs in 2025 were paid by Americans rather than foreign governments, according to analysis from researchers at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
Estimates suggest these new tariffs could increase annual household expenses in Virginia by $400–$3,000, raise unemployment rates by 0.3 percentage points, and disrupt local manufacturing.
The case, State of Oregon, et al. v. Trump, et al., was filed in the U.S. Court of International Trade with leadership from attorneys general representing Oregon, Arizona, California, and New York. Attorneys general from 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 have also joined.
The Attorney General of Virginia provides legal counsel and representation to state agencies while supporting civil rights enforcement and victim assistance programs across the Commonwealth (official website). The office also addresses public safety concerns such as human trafficking and domestic violence through legal advocacy (official website), while offering consumer protection resources for identity theft and fraud reporting (official website).
