Twenty-five states have taken legal action in the U.S. Court of International Trade against President Donald Trump, challenging his recent imposition of double-digit tariffs on 60 economies.

In their court filing on Monday, the states, including New York, argued that the tariffs were unlawful and constituted an attempt to replace the import duties the Supreme Court had struck down in February.

They accused Mr Trump of trying to impose additional costs on families and businesses and asked the court to halt tariff implementation.

Days ago, the Trump administration imposed new tariffs on goods from 59 countries, including Nigeria, and the European Union over their alleged failure ”to impose a legal prohibition on the importation of goods produced wholly or in part with forced labour and to effectively enforce such a prohibition.”

The new tariffs announced by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) took effect on July 24, months after the Supreme Court ruled that Mr Trump lacked the authority to impose import taxes without congressional approval.

“After losing at the Supreme Court, the administration is once again trying to illegally raise taxes on families and businesses with a new round of tariffs,” said New York attorney general Letitia James, who launched the lawsuit.

“Despite losing every step of the way, Trump is trying yet again to inflict more on working families and homegrown businesses,” added Oregon attorney general Dan Rayfield.

Democratic-led states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin – plus Republican-led Nevada and Vermont also joined in the legal action.

“There is no rational fit between the purported problem of forced labour in international supply chains and the blanket global tariffs,” the states argued.

Since returning to office last year, Mr Trump has imposed sweeping tariffs on economies, claiming that they have taken advantage of the American economy.

The states argued that the latest tariffs, ranging from 10 to 12.5 per cent on imported goods and imposed under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, were “arbitrary, capricious and contrary to law”.

However, White House spokesman Kush Desai insisted the tariffs were lawful and were measures to eliminate “unreasonable acts, policies, and practices that burden U.S. commerce”.

“A foreign country’s failure to impose and effectively enforce a prohibition on the importation of goods produced with forced labour is unreasonable and burdens U.S. commerce, including American workers, and must be addressed,” Mr Desai added.