Most of Trump's tariffs are illegal, federal court rules

"US law bestows significant authority on the president to undertake a number of actions in response to a declared national emergency, but none of these actions explicitly include the power to impose tariffs, duties, or the like, or the power to tax, the court said in the 7-4 ruling. Many of Trump's steep tariffs are are unbounded in scope, amount and duration, the ruling added, and assert an expansive authority that is beyond the express limitations of the law his administration has leant on."

"The court's decision is the biggest blow yet to Trump's tariff policies and will likely mean the supreme court will have to rule on whether he has the legal right as president to upend US trade policy. The court said the ruling would not take effect until 14 October. ALL TARIFFS ARE STILL IN EFFECT! Trump wrote on social media, moments after the ruling came down, after the stock markets closed ahead of a three-day weekend in the US."

"At the start of this Labor Day weekend, we should all remember that TARIFFS are the best tool to help our Workers, and support Companies that produce great MADE IN AMERICA products. The ruling voided Trump's Liberation Day tariffs that set a 10% baseline on virtually all of the US's trading partners and his so-called reciprocal tariffs on countries he has argued have unfairly treated the US. Trump has claimed he has the right to impose tariffs on trading partners under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), which in some circumstances grants the president authority to regulate or prohibit international transactions during a national emergency."

A federal appeals court in Washington DC held that US law grants the president emergency powers, but those powers do not explicitly authorize imposing tariffs, duties, or taxes. The 7-4 ruling found many of the Trump administration's tariffs to be unbounded in scope, amount, and duration, exceeding statutory limits. The decision voided the Liberation Day 10% baseline tariff and reciprocal tariffs and will likely prompt Supreme Court review. The ruling will not take effect until 14 October. President Trump posted on social media asserting tariffs remain in effect and defending them as protections for American workers and companies.

Read at www.theguardian.com