A federal court in the United States has blocked the majority of President Donald Trump’s tariffs, delivering a major setback to his efforts to reshape US trade relations. The ruling, announced Wednesday, challenges the legal basis for the sweeping import duties that have unsettled global markets.
The tariffs were introduced by Trump as part of his strategy to pressure other countries into renegotiating trade deals. He justified the tariffs by citing large trade deficits and the threat of illegal drug flows, declaring a “national emergency” to impose broad import levies.
However, a three-judge panel from the Court of International Trade ruled that Trump exceeded his authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) of 1977. The court found that Congress did not grant the president unlimited power to impose tariffs on goods from nearly every country, and it declared such an interpretation unconstitutional.
The decision came after cases brought by businesses and a coalition of states argued that Trump’s tariffs violated Congress’s control over federal spending. The court ordered that most of the tariffs imposed since Trump took office must be stopped.
In response, the Trump administration quickly filed an appeal, and the White House was given 10 days to begin the process of ending the tariffs under the court’s order. This ruling may slow or alter the administration’s aggressive trade approach moving forward.
