Nintendo sues US government over Donald Trump's illegal tariffs

Donald Trump's illegal tariffs have been struck down, and Nintendo wants its money back

Nintendo filed suit against the U.S. government and multiple government officials on Friday over President Donald Trump's illegal collection of tariffs, attempting to claim "the prompt refund, with interest" of duties paid over the past year.

The suit, filed in the United States Court of International Trade, names Scott Bessent, Secretary of the Treasury; Kristi Noem, the (now-former) Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security; Jamieson Greer, U.S. trade representative; Rodney Scott, U.S. Customs & Border Protection commissioner; and Howard Lutnick, Secretary of Commerce, as defendants in the case.

Nintendo's lawsuit against the U.S. government was first reported by Aftermath. You can read the complaint here in PDF form, via RECAP.

Nintendo's suit focuses on the unlawful imposition of tariffs founded on Trump’s executive orders that invoked the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) of 1977, and the Supreme Court's recent ruling that struck down the IEEPA duties. Nintendo's suit says the company has "standing to sue because it is the importer of record for goods that were subject to IEEPA Duties."

"Since February 1, 2025, President Trump has executed the unlawful Executive Orders, imposing tariffs on imports from a vast swath of countries," Nintendo's lawsuit states before detailing the series of executive orders that imposed tariffs on a number of countries, including Canada, Mexico, China, Brazil, and India. Furthermore, Nintendo's suit alleges, after the "court's findings regarding the illegality of the IEEPA Duties," the defendants named in the case "enforced and continued to assess and collect those duties." Nintendo says it has been "directly harmed by Defendants’ unlawful actions related to the Executive Orders and IEEPA Duties."

Nintendo is now asking the court to declare that the defendants’ actions resulting in IEEPA duties are unlawful and void, and that all tariffs collected under the IEEPA duties are refunded with interest (or that Nintendo is awarded a similar amount of money). Naturally, Nintendo also wants to recover its costs and reasonable attorney fees associated with the lawsuit and "further relief as may be just and proper."

Since the imposition of Trump's tariffs, video game console manufacturers, toy makers, and tabletop game makers have raised prices on products that rely on imported goods. Last year, Nintendo delayed pre-orders of the Nintendo Switch 2 as a result of the confusing and chaotic implementation of Trump's tariffs. Companies like Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft now also face rising component prices thanks to new supply constraints as the result of spending by the AI industry.