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+--- Thread: Supreme Court strikes down most of Trump's tariffs (/thread-19831.html)
Supreme Court strikes down most of Trump's tariffs - Magical Realist - Feb 20, 2026
Booyah! Businesses across the US are celebrating the news!
WASHINGTON — "The Supreme Court delivered a major blow to President Donald Trump, ruling Friday that he exceeded his authority when imposing sweeping tariffs using a law reserved for a national emergency.
The justices, divided 6-3, held that Trump's aggressive approach to tariffs on products entering the United States from across the world was not permitted under a 1977 law called the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).
The ruling invalidates many, but not all, of Trump’s tariffs. He could still seek to reimpose some tariffs using other laws.
The White House had no immediate comment on the ruling, but announced that Trump would give a press conference at 12:45 p.m. ET. Trump had been speaking to a room of governors at the White House when he was handed a note with the ruling. He called it a “disgrace,” according to two people familiar with his reaction, and left. He also said he had a backup plan, one of those people said.
As recently as Thursday, Trump bemoaned the possibility of the tariffs being struck down.
“Without tariffs, this country would be in such trouble right now,” he said.
Despite Trump's rhetoric, stocks rallied on news of the ruling.
The ruling was authored by Chief Justice John Roberts, who was joined by three liberal justices and two fellow conservatives, Justices Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett, in the majority.
"The president asserts the extraordinary power to unilaterally impose tariffs of unlimited amount, duration and scope," Roberts wrote. But the Trump administration "points to no statute" in which Congress has previously said that the language in IEEPA could apply to tariffs, he added.
As such, "we hold that IEEPA does not authorize the president to impose tariffs," Roberts wrote.
Justices Clarence Thomas, Brett Kavanaugh and Samuel Alito dissented.
It is a rare setback for the administration at the Supreme Court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, since Trump began his second term in January.
Business owners who had to pay the tariffs and challenged them in court expressed relief at the ruling.
"These new tariffs were arbitrary, unpredictable, and bad business," Victor Schwartz, who runs New York-based wine and spirits importer VOS Selections, said in a statement.
"Thankfully, courts at every level recognized these duties for what they were: unconstitutional government overreach," he added.
The decision does not affect all of Trump's tariffs, leaving in place ones he imposed on steel and aluminum using different laws, for example. But it upends his tariffs in two categories. One is country-by-country or “reciprocal” tariffs, which range from 34% for China to a 10% baseline for the rest of the world. The other is a 25% tariff Trump imposed on some goods from Canada, China and Mexico for what the administration said was their failure to curb the flow of fentanyl."
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/supreme-court-strikes-trumps-tariffs-major-blow-president-rcna244827
RE: Supreme Court strikes down most of Trump's tariffs - Syne - Feb 20, 2026
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said they have several other options for presidential authority to levy tariffs. IEEPA was just the "cleanest."
Personally, I'm hoping he can maintain most of the tariffs, as the economy and job growth has done well with them... while securing foreign investment in US prodution. And I'm still betting that Trump is playing 4D chess, and keeping the economy moderated ahead of a boom right before the midterms. Voters have such short memories that they're likely to think a booming economy now is just the "way things are" by the time November rolls around.
RE: Supreme Court strikes down most of Trump's tariffs - Syne - Feb 21, 2026
Ways Trump has statutory authority to continue imposing tariffs:
...Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, which allows presidents to impose tariffs of up to 15% for up to 150 days to resolve trade imbalances.
...
Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act 1962... That law allows tariffs against specific imports deemed to be a threat to national security, and Trump has already used it to impose fees on sectors like automobiles, steel, aluminum, lumber and other goods.
...
Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974: This allows Trump to impose tariffs to counter unfair trade practices, which Trump has already used to impose tariffs on Chinese imports in the past.
...
Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930: This is the most sweeping law at Trump’s disposal and allows tariffs of up to 50% against countries that have discriminated against U.S. businesses.
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2026/02/20/trump-has-backup-plan-after-supreme-court-overturns-tariffs-heres-how-far-he-could-go/
Why the SCOTUS ruling was constitutionally correct:
RE: Supreme Court strikes down most of Trump's tariffs - Magical Realist - Feb 22, 2026
The clock is ticking. It's now 2 years till Trump is gone. Will overseas corporations relocate to the US, with all the time and expenses required for that, just to avoid a tariff that will likely vanish in two years? Not likely. Trump's megalomaniacal plan to make the world kneel before him thru extortion is crumbling. The economy will suffer, but it will survive. Then everything will go back to normal.
RE: Supreme Court strikes down most of Trump's tariffs - Syne - Feb 22, 2026
You really think that's the only goal of the tariffs? 9_9
RE: Supreme Court strikes down most of Trump's tariffs - Magical Realist - Feb 23, 2026
Go ahead and enlighten us on the true goal of the tariffs. Trump says it's to bring manufacturers to America to bolster the economy. Is he lying?
RE: Supreme Court strikes down most of Trump's tariffs - Syne - Feb 23, 2026
Have you learned nothing? Trump always has a "big ask" that is not the final goal. It's not a lie. It's a negotiation tactic.
Although in this case, I think it's also serving a midterm election strategy (negotiating with the voters).
RE: Supreme Court strikes down most of Trump's tariffs - Magical Realist - Feb 23, 2026
LOL I'm just gonna leave that there without comment.
RE: Supreme Court strikes down most of Trump's tariffs - Syne - Feb 23, 2026
Not like my prediction is a secret.