Rightwing group backed by Koch and Leo sues to stop Trump tariffs

New Civil Liberties Alliance says president’s invocation of emergency powers to impose tariffs is unlawful

A libertarian group backed by Leonard Leo and Charles Koch has mounted a legal challenge against Donald Trump’s tariff regime, in a sign of spreading rightwing opposition to a policy that has sent international markets plummeting.

The New Civil Liberties Alliance filed a suit against Trump’s imposition of import tariffs on exports from China, arguing that doing so under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) – which the president has invoked to justify the duties on nearly all nations – is unlawful.