On February 14, 2025, New York Attorney General Letitia James gave a press conference in New York City. One of those cases has been her high-profile lawsuit against President Donald Trump and his administration. A multi-state coalition of a dozen states has already filed legal action. They want to prevent the tariffs that have now gone into effect, which they allege break U.S. law.
The complaint, filed officially on Wednesday, focuses on the legality of the administration’s use of these tariffs. Attorney General James underscored the importance of this lawsuit. He explained that the president’s actions are crossing clear legal lines that have long defined the limits of tax and tariff authority.
The president doesn’t get to raise taxes at will. I mean, that’s what President Trump is doing through these tariffs,” said Letitia James during the joint press conference. She underscored the ramifications of missing the deadline and the possible economic impact for companies as well as consumers.
During her keynote, James unpacked how these new tariffs indiscriminately hurt public and private sectors. She equally emphasized the need to hold our government accountable. And in response, a coalition of states is initiating a suit against what they see as an overreach of presidential power. Champions from across the country have come together, joined together in their opposition.
James renewed her commitment to shielding New Yorkers from businesses’ use of “unfair taxation.” She conveyed her understanding that hundreds of thousands of citizens all back essential, predictable trade policies executed consistently with legal safeguards. She argues that these new tariffs really tip that important balance on its head.
This press conference drew quite the crowd, with media from all over the world on hand to record history in the making. Michael M. Santiago of Getty Images took this evocative photo of Attorney General James while speaking on the future. She spoke eloquently about the ramifications of the lawsuit. And Getty Images just made the photograph from that press conference available to the public. This photo does an incredible job of conveying just how monumental that moment was.
As the lawsuit moves forward, it will reach a crucial stage with ramifications for trade law and executive authority. The stakes of this case reach far beyond state borders — threatening to undermine national economic policies and hurting our international standing.
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