Supreme Court strikes down Trump’s sweeping tariffs

The Supreme Court struck down President Donald Trump’s far-reaching global tariffs in a 6-3 decision on Friday. This is a stinging loss for the President on an issue that was the cornerstone of his economic agenda in his second term.

Authored by Chief Justice John Roberts, the court found tariffs that Trump imposed under an emergency powers law were unconstitutional, including the sweeping “reciprocal” tariffs he levied on nearly every other country. “The Framers did not vest any part of the taxing power in the Executive Branch,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote. Justices Brett Kavanaugh, Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas dissented.

Trump lashed out at the Supreme Court for striking down much of his sweeping tariff infrastructure as an illegal use of emergency power. “The Supreme Court’s ruling on tariffs is deeply disappointing and I’m ashamed of certain members of the court, absolutely ashamed, for not having the courage to do what’s right for the country,” Trump said.

The president swiftly signed an executive order enabling him to bypass Congress and announced a 10% global tariff, which he then raised to 15% on Saturday. The new tariff is set to start on Tuesday, the same day as the State of the Union speech. These tariffs are limited to 150 days, unless they are extended legislatively.

The ruling will most likely prolong chaos over international trade through the midterm elections, with much unknown about Trump’s next steps and whether roughly $175 billion in import taxes that the Supreme Court struck down will be refunded.