A federal appeals court has ruled against certain tariffs imposed by former US President Donald Trump, finding they exceeded the scope of his presidential authority.
Judges determined that the implementation of tariffs constitutes a core legislative function specifically reserved for the US Congress by the Constitution. The court concluded that Trump’s actions circumvented the established legislative process.
Despite the ruling, the tariffs remain in effect for the time being. The court has delayed the implementation of its order until October, granting the Trump administration time to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court – a course of action the US government has already announced it will pursue.
The case centered on tariffs enacted by Trump in April, justified at the time under claims of a national emergency stemming from a US trade deficit. The court rejected this justification, finding that the grounds for invoking such emergency powers were not adequately established. The potential ramifications of the ruling for existing trade agreements, including those with the European Union, remain unclear at this time.