A coalition of US states has sued to block tariffs the Trump administration imposed on dozens of countries, challenging the legal justification behind one of its largest trade actions, according to the BBC. Washington accused roughly 60 trading partners of failing to tackle forced labour to justify the duties, the broadcaster reports.

The case tests whether that accusation, applied to dozens of economies at once, can lawfully support tariffs at this scale. A ruling against the administration would strike down duties covering a broad share of US trading partners at once; a ruling for it strengthens one of the broadest tariff actions of Trump's second term.

Suits like this typically contest not the economic case for tariffs but the government's legal authority to impose them — arguing the grounds fall short of the required threshold, or that the process for designating the 60 countries was flawed. The BBC does not say which states sued, in which court, or under which statute.

The tariffs remain in force for businesses trading with the 60 countries while the case proceeds, unless a court intervenes. For governments among those partners, the ruling will decide whether the forced-labour justification behind the duties holds up.

This article summarizes reporting on a legal filing. It is not legal analysis and does not evaluate the merits of either side's case.

Also unresolved: whether the states have sought an injunction to pause the duties while the case proceeds. Watch for the filed complaint and the administration's response, which will set out each side's legal theory.