Federal court blocks Trump’s sweeping tariffs
A U.S. federal court has blocked President Donald Trump’s sweeping global trade tariffs on imports.
A three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of International Trade ruled that an emergency law invoked by the White House does not give the president unilateral authority to impose tariffs on nearly every country worldwide and in fact exceeded his authority.
While tariffs must typically be approved by Congress, Trump has said he has the power to act to address the trade deficits he calls a national emergency. The New York-based court declared the Constitution provides Congress exclusive powers to regulate commerce with other nations.
The White House has requested that the court block the order suspending tariffs while it appeals the case.
This is a developing story.
Update:
Warning that a series of court decisions blocking Trump’s tariffs “disrupt sensitive, ongoing negotiations with virtually every trading partner,” the Trump administration on Monday asked a federal appeals court to block the order.
Issued less than 24 hours after a panel of judges on the Court of International Trade issued its own decision blocking Trump’s tariffs, U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras reached the same conclusion about the unlawfulness of the tariffs, but issued a less-sweeping order, only blocking enforcement of the tariffs against the two companies that filed the lawsuit.
