Appeals court rules many of Trump’s tariffs are illegal
A federal appeals court said Friday that many of the sweeping tariffs imposed by President Trump on dozens of countries earlier this year are not legally permissible.
The ruling will not immediately block the tariffs, but it marks a significant blow to Mr. Trump’s signature trade strategy.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit upheld a lower court that found many of Mr. Trump’s tariffs on foreign goods exceeded his power under federal economic emergency laws. However, the appellate judges vacated the lower court’s injunction blocking the tariffs altogether, directing the court to reevaluate whether universal relief is appropriate.
The ruling applies to a series of April executive orders that imposed 10% baseline tariffs on virtually every country and higher “reciprocal” tariffs on dozens of trading partners. It also applies to a separate set of tariffs on goods from Canada, Mexico and China to pressure those three countries to crack down on fentanyl trafficking and unauthorized immigration.
The court’s ruling will not take effect until October to give the Trump administration a chance to ask the Supreme Court to take up the case.
CBS News has reached out to the White House for comment.
This is a breaking story; it will be updated.
contributed to this report.
