California Governor Gavin Newsom has filed a lawsuit challenging President Trump's spate of tariffs that have upended global trade.

The suit, which marks the first time a state has sued over the levies, challenges an emergency power Trump cited giving him authority to enact them, BBC reported.

California, the world's fifth-largest economy, has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over tariffs, claiming they disproportionately harm the state's industrial and agriculture industries. Governor Gavin Newsom argues the levies—10% on most countries and 145% on China—damage California’s economy, which leads the U.S. in production. 

The White House dismissed the suit, defending the tariffs as necessary to address trade imbalances and a "national emergency" harming U.S. industries. California has already filed 15 lawsuits against Trump since January, according to BBC.

Legal experts note the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act, cited for the tariffs, which has never before been invoked to impose tariffs.

Trump's tariff authority is also being questioned in other lawsuits filed by corporations and human rights advocates.