Supreme Court says Trump global tariffs are illegal

"Against that backdrop of clear and limited delegations, the Government reads IEEPA to give the President power to unilaterally impose unbounded tariffs and change them at will. That view would represent a transformative expansion of the President's authority over tariff policy," the ruling says. Threat level: The ruling might give way to a potentially chaotic refund process that could see billions of dollars returned to businesses that paid the tariffs the Supreme Court now deems illegal."

"It's unclear how other nations will respond; the tariffs underpin a slew of trade deals announced by the administration earlier this year. Zoom out: The Supreme Court issued a rulingmonthsafter an expedited hearing in November. Trump imposed more than half of the current tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, leaning on unprecedented authorities to impose global levies. During the hearing, some justices - including some conservatives on the bench - were skeptical that Trump could sidestep Congress and single-handedly impose such sweeping tariffs."

The Supreme Court held that reading IEEPA to allow unilateral, unbounded presidential imposition and alteration of tariffs would constitute a transformative expansion of executive tariff authority. The decision creates a risk of a chaotic refund process that could return billions to businesses that paid tariffs now deemed illegal. Other nations face uncertainty because the tariffs support numerous trade deals announced earlier. The Court issued its ruling months after an expedited November hearing. More than half of current tariffs were imposed under IEEPA, and some justices expressed skepticism that the President could sidestep Congress to impose sweeping global levies. The administration intends to pursue other trade authorities to preserve tariffs.

Read at Axios