Governor Newsom urges the Supreme Court to reject Trump’s illegal tariff grift

"Trump associates are profiting from the uncertainty and pain of American citizens"

What you need to know: As the economy continues to flounder and a recession looms due to Trump's failed economic policies, Governor Newsom again urged the Supreme Court to stand up for the rule of law and overturn Trump's illegal tariffs.

SACRAMENTO - Today, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in a case challenging President Trump's illegal tariffs. As the court hears the case, sectors of the economy are "in recession" as American families continue to struggle under the weight of Donald Trump's failed economic policies and tariffs improperly imposed by the President under misused emergency powers. Earlier this month, Governor Newsom submitted an amicus brief in the case, which is similar to California's lawsuit against the Trump administration.

"Donald Trump's economy is a failure and demonstrates his commitment to grift and greed more than the well-being of the American people. As he sends billions to Argentina and hosts opulent parties, our families are suffering. Trump administration associates are lining their own pockets, playing a sick game by profiting from the uncertainty and pain of American citizens. It is beyond illegal, and we urge the Supreme Court to stand up for the rule of law and the constitutional separation of powers they are sworn to uphold."

Governor Gavin Newsom

Standing up for Californians

On April 16, Governor Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit arguing that President Trump lacks the authority to unilaterally impose tariffs through a manufactured emergency which has created immediate and irreparable harm to California. Today's case before Supreme Court, Learning Resources v. Trump and Trump v. V.O.S. Selections, presents similar arguments. California's case has been temporarily held by the Ninth Circuit pending the Supreme Court's resolution of this case.

The President invoked an emergency law to impose tariffs without permission from Congress. But the emergency law doesn't allow for tariffs, and instead of helping the American economy, Trump's illegal tariffs have hurt families, farmers, and businesses by creating mass uncertainty and sending shockwaves through a previously healthy economy.

The Trump effect

California is the largest economy in the nation and the fourth-largest economy in the world. Since February 2025, President Trump has issued an unprecedented and chaotic series of executive orders imposing tariffs ranging from 10% to 145% on nearly every trading partner of the United States. The illegal tariffs imposed by President Trump threaten to devastate California's economy, depriving it of $25 billion and more than 64,000 jobs.

Trump's abuse of power

In the nearly fifty years since the enactment of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), no President has ever before invoked it to impose tariffs, because IEEPA does not reference the power to tax or tariff at all. Trump invoked this emergency law because the usual tariff laws that Congress has authorized would not allow for the kind of extreme, erratic tariffs Trump has imposed

An excerpt from the Governor's brief with the Supreme Court can be found below:

In just the last few months, the President has upended the international economic order by using tariffs to target another country for its treatment of the President's political ally; roiled the financial markets by announcing on social media his intent to impose devastating tariffs on another economic superpower; and threatened foreign companies with extortionate tariffs to extract pricing concessions. Whether these actions ultimately help or harm Americans, they are of such vast significance that the President cannot undertake them without clear authorization from Congress.

IEEPA does not supply that authorization. The President cannot tariff by fiat. To safeguard the separation of powers, the Court should confirm that this President, the next President, and all future Presidents must respect the bounds of the tariffing power delegated to them by Congress, and hold that the President's actions challenged here are ultra vires. The President has arrogated to himself extraordinary powers of global consequence, for too long. This Court should swiftly put an end to that conduct and maintain the constitutional allocation of power-and constraints on the Executive-enshrined by the Framers.