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25 US states challenge Trump’s new tariffs in court

ByJustpaste.in

NEW YORK: A coalition of 25 US states has filed a lawsuit against the administration of President Donald Trump, seeking to block a new round of tariffs imposed on imports from dozens of countries.

The legal challenge was submitted to the US Court of International Trade in New York, where the states asked the court to suspend the tariffs, declare them unlawful and order the federal government to refund businesses that have already paid the import duties.

The coalition argued that the administration exceeded its legal authority by introducing sweeping tariffs under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974. According to the lawsuit, the investigations cited by the administration as justification for the tariffs were used as a pretext to impose broad trade restrictions.

The disputed tariffs, ranging from 10% to 12.5%, were introduced last month and apply to imports from 60 trading partners, covering a significant share of goods entering the United States.

The Trump administration has defended the measures, saying they are intended to address concerns related to forced labour in international supply chains and to protect American trade interests. The White House maintains that the tariffs were imposed within the government’s legal authority and remain an important tool for securing fair trade practices.

A White House spokesperson said the administration is using powers granted under US trade law to respond to what it considers unfair policies and practices affecting American commerce. Officials also argued that Section 301 tariffs have previously withstood legal scrutiny and continue to be a lawful instrument of trade policy.

The lawsuit follows earlier legal disputes over President Trump’s tariff policies. Previous tariffs introduced under emergency economic powers were struck down by the US Supreme Court earlier this year, prompting the administration to replace them with the current Section 301 measures after a temporary global tariff expired in July.

The states involved in the case contend that the latest tariffs are arbitrary and unlawful, arguing that while they support efforts to combat forced labour worldwide, such concerns cannot be used to justify what they describe as an illegal expansion of presidential tariff powers.

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    Progressive Abdul El-Sayed and moderate Haley Stevens lock horns in high-stakes Michigan Democratic Senate primary

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    PM Shehbaz orders expansion of digital services fo…

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    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed authorities to expand digital consular services for overseas Pakistanis, improve facilities at Pakistani missions abroad, simplify the complaints system and speed up the digitization of document attestation and official transactions. According to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office, the directives came during a meeting chaired by the prime minister in which officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Pakistani ambassadors serving in various countries, and senior representatives from the Ministry of Interior, the Federal Investigation Agency, the Ministry of Information Technology and other relevant departments briefed him on ongoing reform efforts. Shehbaz said overseas Pakistanis represent a valuable asset for the country and that providing them with every possible facility remains a top government priority. Officials told the meeting that a QR code system has already been rolled out to simplify procedures for power of attorney, property transactions and document attestation for Pakistanis living abroad. The prime minister welcomed the initiative and directed authorities to prominently display the QR codes at Pakistani embassies and missions worldwide to improve access to the digital complaints registration system. Shehbaz also instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to launch a dedicated awareness campaign encouraging overseas Pakistanis to use the QR code based system when filing complaints. The meeting was told that the ministry has recently introduced an evening shift at its Islamabad office to make services more accessible to citizens, and that document attestation services have also been launched at the Asaan Khidmat Centre in Islamabad. Officials further reported that the ministry has introduced courier based attestation services and linked its verification system with databases maintained by the Higher Education Commission, the Inter Boards Coordination Commission, the National Database and Registration Authority and the National Police Bureau, a step that has significantly cut processing times. The meeting also heard that the apostille system has reduced document attestation to a single step process. Officials said work is now underway to fully digitize the system, with the National Information Technology Board developing a mobile application that would allow digital verification of documents including birth and death certificates, marriage registration certificates and family registration certificates, among other official records. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar attended the meeting alongside federal ministers Ahsan Iqbal Cheema, Attaullah Tarar, Chaudhry Salik Hussain and Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Minister of State Awn Chaudhry, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Tariq Bajwa and other senior officials. The push to digitize consular services reflects a broader effort by the government to modernize public sector delivery and reduce bureaucratic delays, an initiative that has gained momentum in recent years as authorities look to integrate various state databases and cut down on the paperwork burden faced by citizens both at home and abroad.

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