The Supreme Court wants to know: Are Trump's tariffs too big for the president to decide alone?

"The justices heard arguments over the "Liberation Day" tariffs Trump imposed on the rest of the world, as well as the other tariffs he justified under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. IEEPA gives presidents the power to "regulate" importation in times of emergency. According to the Trump administration, that includes the ability to impose taxes on imported goods - a power no previous president has ever claimed from the Carter-era law."

"During Wednesday's arguments, the justices questioned whether the issue should be considered under the "major questions doctrine" - the legal principle that says Congress needs to be crystal-clear when granting presidents power over matters of significant economic or political importance. A majority of the nine justices asked pointed questions to Solicitor General D. John Sauer, who represented the Trump administration."

"Justices Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett, both appointed by Trump in his first term, pressed back on the administration's arguments that it could assume so much power from the law's language. Barrett pushed Sauer to point to any "any other time in history" where "regulate importation" meant the power to impose tariffs. When Sauer pointed to an appellate court decision in a different case and delved into the "long historical pedigree" of how authority is delegated from Congress to the executive branch, Barrett appeared unsatisfied."

At Wednesday's Supreme Court hearing, justices examined the legality of President Trump's "Liberation Day" tariffs and other tariffs asserted under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). The administration contends IEEPA's grant to "regulate" importation includes authority to impose taxes on imports, an unprecedented reading of the Carter-era law. A majority of justices expressed skepticism and probed whether the case implicates the major questions doctrine, which requires Congress to be explicit when delegating authority over substantial economic and political matters. Justices Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett challenged the administration's interpretation, while Solicitor General D. John Sauer cited historical precedents that failed to satisfy some justices.

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