Credited from: LATIMES
The U.S. Supreme Court has announced that it will hear arguments in November to determine the legality of President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs, which have been criticized for being imposed under emergency powers without congressional approval. The justices agreed to review a lower court's ruling that found Trump exceeded his authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), setting up a major test of presidential power with significant implications for U.S. trade policy, according to Newsweek, CBS News, and NPR.
In the first week of November, the Court will address whether Trump's broad invocation of IEEPA to impose tariffs can legally stand, given that lower courts have deemed many of them illegal. The emergency powers law was intended to deal with national threats, and its application to tariffs challenges the constitutional allocation of power between Congress and the presidency, as emphasized by Reuters, BBC, and Channel News Asia.
Legal challenges have emerged from small businesses and a coalition of 12 states that argue tariffs should be legislated by Congress, not unilaterally imposed by the president. Their stance is supported by lower court rulings asserting that IEEPA does not grant unlimited authority to the president for tariff imposition, a view corroborated by sources such as Los Angeles Times and HuffPost.
The Trump administration asserts that denying these tariff powers will lead to economic catastrophe, jeopardizing trade negotiations and potentially resulting in significant refunds for revenues already collected. Solicitor General D. John Sauer argued that the uncertainty around these rulings is hindering ongoing negotiations with trading partners, as detailed in various reports including Al Jazeera and India Times.
The implications of this case could extend to trillions of dollars in tariffs and reshape the landscape of U.S. economic authority for years to come, highlighting the pressing need for the Supreme Court's clarification on the extent of presidential powers concerning international trade policy, according to Le Monde and South China Morning Post.