Federal Judge Tosses California’s Lawsuit Over Trump Tariffs

A federal judge in San Francisco threw out California’s case against President Trump’s tariffs on Monday, saying there was a problem with the state’s authority.

Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley, who was chosen by former President Joe Biden, gave California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta some bad news after they sued Trump and several federal agencies in April.

The case was already in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, but the Trump administration asked the judge to move it to the U.S. Court of International Trade for New York. Instead, she threw out Newsom and Bonta’s whole case. This meant that the two Democrats could appeal to the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, which is known for being very left.

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Democrats in California said that Trump’s tariffs, which were put in place under the International Economic Emergency Powers Act without being approved by Congress, go against the separation of powers principle. However, the Trump administration says that the tariffs are necessary to deal with a national emergency caused by the trade deficit with other countries.

Two decisions last week said that Trump’s plan to put 10% “Liberation Day” taxes on goods from China, Mexico, and California was not legal. Scott Corley’s decision comes after those findings. A three-judge panel on the trade court in New York and an Obama-appointed judge in the District Court in Washington, D.C., both said that Trump’s taxes went beyond what the International Emergency Economic Powers Act allowed.

On Monday, Bonta released a statement praising Scott Corley for granting California’s request to drop the case so that he and Newsom could ask for an appeal. The attorney general said that the outcome of the case by the federal judge in San Francisco “keeps the case in California and allows California to appeal to the Ninth Circuit, which it plans to do immediately.”

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“Today, our lawsuit challenging the Trump Administration’s disastrous and illegal tariffs was allowed to remain in California pending our incoming appeal. We strongly believe this case belongs in federal district court and are pleased the court considered our wishes in dismissing this case so we have the opportunity to seek review. Our argument is straightforward: Trump doesn’t have the authority to impose these destructive tariffs — the International Emergency Economic Powers Act simply does not authorize tariffs,” Bonta said.

“We remain confident in the strength of our case and look forward to continuing to fight for California’s vibrant economy, businesses, workers, and families,” Bonta added.

“It was dismissed on procedural grounds. We disagree — as did a federal court in D.C. — and have already appealed,” Newsom’s press office wrote on X.

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Last Thursday, a federal appeals court put off until later that day the court order that had blocked President Trump’s tariffs, so they are back in effect for now.

While it looks into Trump’s appeal, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit put an official hold on the ruling.

That morning, the administration asked the Court of International Trade in New York to put off its decision, saying that carrying it out would be a “foreign policy disaster scenario.”

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What the three-judge panel said on Wednesday was that Trump’s global taxes were “contrary to law.”

Trump took to his social media platform on Thursday to condemn the judges’ decision.

“Where do these initial three Judges come from? How is it possible for them to have potentially done such damage to the United States of America? Is it purely a hatred of ‘TRUMP?’ What other reason could it be?,” the president wrote.

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The Department of Justice on Thursday requested a stay to Wednesday’s ruling, saying it’s needed “to avoid immediate irreparable harm to United States foreign policy and national security.”