U.S. President Donald Trump has urgently petitioned the Supreme Court to rule on an appeal challenging lower court judgments that deemed the majority of his tariff measures unlawful.
This high-stakes legal action comes on the heels of a significant setback: the U.S. Court of Appeals, in a 7-4 decision, determined last week that the Trump administration exceeded its powers in slapping hefty tariffs on nearly all trading partners.
The appellate ruling threatens to upend a cornerstone of Trump’s trade policy, raising uncertainty over the durability of import levies billed by Trump as reciprocal and originally introduced at the height of international trade tensions in April.
The scope of the court’s decision also covers targeted tariffs against China, Canada, and Mexico that went into effect the following February. However, other trade measures, particularly those governing steel and aluminum via different statutes, remain unaffected.
Speaking earlier on Wednesday, Trump cautioned that an unfavorable ruling could force Washington to reconsider recent trade agreements with major partners, including the European Union, Japan, and South Korea. He warned that overturning the tariffs would deliver a severe blow to the U.S. economy.
