Court Accuses Trump of Overstepping Authority Over Tariffs

The U.S. Court of International Trade in Manhattan has blocked the April (targeting 185 countries and territories) and February (targeting Mexico, Canada, and China) tariff orders issued by President Donald Trump, CBS News reports.

The Trump administration filed an appeal, according to CNBC. It’s claimed the appeal was submitted within minutes of the ruling.

• The court ruled that the tariffs imposed on 185 countries and territories are not justified under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).
• The case concerns the 1977 IEEPA, which Trump cited when introducing the tariffs.
• The court argues the White House was merely attempting to fix a “trade imbalance,” and that there was no true “emergency” that would justify such executive orders.
• Trump’s administration, in turn, insists that trade deficits led to an “emergency” involving job losses and weakened national defense.
• The court maintains that the U.S. Constitution grants exclusive authority over foreign trade to Congress — and that Trump effectively bypassed the need for congressional approval.
• The court emphasized that the Constitution’s provisions cannot be overridden by presidential powers aimed at protecting the economy or national interests.

For now, the ruling has overturned specific tariffs: 30% on imports from China, 25% on certain goods from Mexico and Canada, and 10% on most other goods imported to the U.S. from a wide range of countries.