A U.S. food importer has filed a lawsuit seeking to block the latest round of tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump on imports from Canada, arguing the measure is another attempt to claim unchecked presidential authority over tariffs that courts have already rejected.
The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. Court of International Trade by the legal nonprofit Liberty Justice Center on behalf of Gellert Global Group, a food importer. According to the filing, Trump has repeatedly shifted legal justifications and invoked rarely used statutes in an effort to assert tariff-setting power that the U.S. Constitution assigns to Congress.
Trump imposed 50% tariffs on a wide range of Canadian imports over the summer, with his administration saying the move responded to what it called discriminatory treatment by Canada of U.S.-made cars, alcohol and dairy products. To implement the tariffs, Trump invoked Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930 — a provision that, according to the lawsuit, had not been used in nearly a century.
Legal Backdrop
The case follows a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court in February that went against most of the tariffs Trump had imposed in 2025. Despite that ruling, the administration has continued to issue broad tariffs, which have drawn repeated legal challenges from U.S. states and businesses.
What’s at Stake for Cross-Border Trade
The dispute centers on the scope of presidential power to impose tariffs without explicit congressional authorization, an issue that has repeatedly reached U.S. courts as the Trump administration has pursued tariff actions against trading partners including Canada. The outcome of the case could affect the cost of importing Canadian goods such as cars, alcohol and dairy products into the United States, with implications for businesses and consumers on both sides of the border.
The lawsuit is the latest in a series of legal challenges brought against the administration’s tariff policies by businesses and states since the Supreme Court’s February ruling.
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