A legal advocacy group on Monday asked the US Court of International Trade to block President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs on foreign trading partners, arguing that the president overstepped his authority.

The lawsuit was filed by the Liberty Justice Center, a legal advocacy group, on behalf of five US businesses that import goods from countries targeted by the tariffs.

“No one person should have the power to impose taxes that have such vast global economic consequences,” Liberty Justice Center senior counsel Jeffrey Schwab said in a statement. “The Constitution gives the power to set tax rates — including tariffs — to Congress, not the President.”

Trump admin. legal troubles

Representatives of the White House did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
US PRESIDENT Donald Trump delivers remarks on tariffs at the White House last week. Because Trump is so hard to characterize neatly, we should think twice before jumping to conclusions as to where his tariff policies are headed, says the writer. (credit: Carlos Barria/Reuters)
US PRESIDENT Donald Trump delivers remarks on tariffs at the White House last week. Because Trump is so hard to characterize neatly, we should think twice before jumping to conclusions as to where his tariff policies are headed, says the writer. (credit: Carlos Barria/Reuters)
The Trump administration faces a similar lawsuit in Florida federal court, where a small business owner has asked a judge to block tariffs imposed on China.