The U.S. Court of International Trade ruled on the 28th to block the implementation of the Trump administration’s executive orders imposing tariffs on multiple countries under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
According to the court’s ruling, the International Emergency Economic Powers Act does not authorize the President to issue any global tariff orders, retaliatory tariff orders, or tariff orders related to illegal trade.
The ruling states that the relevant tariff orders will be rescinded and their implementation will be permanently barred.
The court also stated that if the orders are found unlawful with respect to the plaintiffs, they will be unlawful with respect to all others.
In February of this year, the Trump administration imposed tariffs on imports from Canada, Mexico, and China under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, and on April 2nd, it imposed so-called “reciprocal tariffs” on all trading partners under the same act.
The ruling states that the decision addresses lawsuits filed against the federal government by five small businesses and 12 states on April 14th and 23rd, respectively.
These companies argue that the US government lacks the authority to impose comprehensive tariffs without congressional approval and are seeking to block the government’s implementation of tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
In their lawsuit, 12 US states claim the Trump administration’s tariff policy is “an impulsive act rather than a proper exercise of lawful authority” and are asking the court to declare the “reciprocal tariffs” illegal and block their implementation.