U.S. Steel and Japan’s Nippon Steel sued the United States government on Monday in a last-ditch attempt to revive their attempted merger after President Biden blocked it last week on the basis that the transaction posed a threat to national security.

The companies argued in a lawsuit announced on Monday that Biden violated the Constitution by blocking the merger via a sham national security review that deprived the companies of their right to a fair process.

They also filed a lawsuit in federal court in Pittsburgh against rival steelmaker Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. and CEO Lourenco Goncalves, as well as United Steelworkers President David McCall, alleging coordinated anticompetitive and racketeering activities designed to allow only Cliffs to acquire U.S. Steel.

By blocking a Japanese company’s takeover of U.S. Steel, President Joe Biden said he was protecting good jobs in the American heartland. He may be putting them at risk instead.

Nippon Steel Chief Executive Eiji Hashimoto says the top Japanese steelmaker is standing firm on its proposed $15 billion acquisition of U.S. Steel

The first lawsuit filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit claims the companies’ constitutional right to due process was violated.

Grasso speaks with prominent attorneys and legal scholars, analyzing major legal issues and cases in the news.