ArmInfo. The US Supreme Court has overturned the sweeping tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump, ruling that he exceeded his authority by using a law designed for emergencies, Reuters and the Associated Press reported, quoted by BTA.
In a decision made by a majority of 6 to 3 votes, the top judges confirmed the opinion of the previous court that President Trump had improperly invoked a 1977 law to unilaterally impose import tariffs. The case was filed on a complaint by companies affected by the tariffs, as well as 12 US states, most of which are run by Democrats, who challenged the unprecedented implementation of the law.
In its decision, the court emphasized that under the Constitution, the power to impose tariffs belongs to Congress.
Tariffs - taxes on imported goods - have been a key tool in Trump's economic and foreign policy. They have been at the center of a global trade war that began after the start of his second presidential term, which has strained relations with allies and trading partners, affected financial markets and increased uncertainty in the global economy, Reuters adds.
“The framers (of the Constitution - editor's note) did not transfer any part of the taxing power to the executive branch“, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote. Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas and Brett Kavanaugh dissented. “The tariffs at issue may or may not be sound policy. But as a matter of text, history and precedent, they are clearly lawful,” Kavanaugh wrote in his dissent.
The tariff ruling does not stop Trump from imposing tariffs under other laws. Although they place greater limits on the speed and severity of Trump’s actions, senior administration officials have said they expect to keep the tariff framework in place under other powers. The Supreme Court's decision comes despite a series of short-term victories in emergency court cases that have allowed Trump to continue with extraordinary executive actions on issues ranging from high-profile firings to major cuts to federal funding.
The Republican-nominated president has defended his tariffs, calling them "one of the most important in U.S. history" and saying a ruling against them would be an economic blow to the country. But opposition to the tariffs has run across the political spectrum, including from libertarian and pro-business groups typically associated with the Republican Party. Polls show that the tariffs are not widely popular among the public, amid broader concerns among voters about affordability, the AP added.
The Constitution gives Congress the power to impose tariffs. But the Trump administration argues that a 1977 law that allows the president to regulate imports during emergencies also allows him to set tariffs. Other presidents have used the law dozens of times, often to impose sanctions, but Trump is the first president to apply it to control foreign trade.
In April 2025, Trump imposed what he called “reciprocal” tariffs on most countries to address trade deficits that he declared a national emergency. That came after he imposed tariffs on Canada, China and Mexico to deal with a drug trafficking emergency.
A series of lawsuits followed, including one from a dozen states, mostly Democratic, and others from small businesses selling everything from plumbing supplies to educational toys and women's cycling apparel, the AP recalls.
The challengers argued that the emergency powers law did not even mention tariffs and that Trump's use of it failed to meet several legal requirements, including one that doomed then-President Joe Biden's $500 billion student loan forgiveness program.
The economic impact of Trump's tariffs is estimated at about $3 trillion over the next decade, according to the Congressional Budget Office. The Treasury Department has collected more than $133 billion in import tariffs imposed by the president under the emergency powers law, federal data showed in December. Many companies, including the large-scale retail chain Costco, have already gone to court to seek refunds, the Associated Press reported.
