Trump’s Tariffs Go To Supreme Court For The First Time

Topline

Small businesses asked the Supreme Court on Tuesday to take up the issue of whether President Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs are lawful, marking the first time the president’s sweeping tariffs have made it to the high court, and teeing up a potential final ruling on whether the tariffs are lawful by the end of the year.

President Donald Trump speaks during his “Liberation Day” tariff announcement in the Rose Garden at … More the White House on April 2.

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Key Facts

Businesses Learning Resources Inc. and hand2mind Inc. filed a petition with the Supreme Court on Tuesday, which asks the high court to consider whether Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs are lawful under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), the law the president used to impose them.

A federal district judge previously ruled in the businesses’ favor and found Trump’s tariffs violate IEEPA, but his ruling is now on hold as an appeals court considers the case.

The plaintiffs want the Supreme Court to weigh in on the issue before the appeals court does, arguing the case “presents a question of paramount importance and urgency” and should skip the traditional appeals process in order to be argued “as soon as possible.”

Justices need to weigh in on the tariffs in order to relieve the “crippling uncertainty” they’ve caused nationwide, the plaintiffs argued to the Supreme Court, asking justices to schedule the case for oral arguments as soon as its next term begins in October, or even sooner.

The case is one of two lawsuits on tariffs that have so far resulted in court rulings against Trump’s “Liberation Day” orders: The second, which blocked Trump’s tariffs nationwide, is also now on pause while an appeals court considers the case.

The White House has not yet responded to a request for comment, but the Trump administration has defended the tariffs’ legality, with White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt saying in May the policy is “legally sound and grounded in common sense.”

When Could The Supreme Court Rule On Trump’s Tariffs?

The Supreme Court has not yet given any indication about whether it will take up the case or when a decision on taking up the case could come. In their petition to the court, the businesses asked justices to consider whether they’ll take up the case before their current term ends at the end of June, with both sides then submitting briefs in the case over the summer, before the case is argued in early fall. The Supreme Court could reject that timeline and take longer to deliberate on taking up the case, however, or take it up but wait until winter or spring 2026 to hear oral arguments. If the court were to hear oral arguments on the case in the fall, as the businesses want, a final ruling would likely come out a few months later, though justices could issue a decision any time before their next term ends in June 2026.

Crucial Quote

“In light of the tariffs’ massive impact on virtually every business and consumer across the Nation, and the unremitting whiplash caused by the unfettered tariffing power the President claims, challenges to the IEEPA tariffs cannot await the normal appellate process,” the businesses argued to the Supreme Court, adding the “nationwide harms” the tariffs have caused “will mount until this Court finally settles the matter.”

Will Trump’s Tariffs Stay In Effect While The Supreme Court Considers The Case?

Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs are now in effect, and will continue to be until a court rules otherwise. The Supreme Court could decide to block the tariffs while it considers the issue, though the businesses did not appear to specifically request that in their filings Tuesday. The tariffs could also still be blocked in the other major lawsuit over them that’s still pending. The Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has kept the tariffs in effect until it issues a final ruling on them, which means they’ll stay in place until at least July 31, when the court will hold a hearing on the issue. The appeals court could then decide any time after that point that the tariffs are unlawful and should be blocked, or uphold them and keep the tariffs in place.

What Is Ieepa, And Do Trump’s Tariffs Violate It?

IEEPA is a federal law that gives presidents broad latitude to impose some economic sanctions on foreign countries during national emergencies. Trump used it to impose his “Liberation Day” tariffs on nearly all countries, claiming the U.S.’ trade imbalances with other nations was an emergency that justified using the law. Businesses and Democratic-led states that have sued over the tariffs have disagreed, arguing IEEPA says nothing about tariffs and doesn’t give Trump any authority to impose them. Even if the law did allow tariffs, the “Liberation Day” fees still wouldn’t be justified, the plaintiffs claim, because there’s no “emergency” that warrants invoking the law. Courts have so far agreed: A panel of judges at the Court of International Trade ruled “any interpretation of IEEPA that delegates unlimited tariff authority is unconstitutional,” while Judge Rudolph Contreras, ruling in favor of Learning Resources and hand2mind, wrote the law “does not authorize the President to impose the tariffs set forth” in his “Liberation Day” order.

Key Background

Trump unveiled his sweeping “Liberation Day” tariffs on April 2, fulfilling a longtime campaign promise despite concerns from economists that his tariffs could raise prices for consumers and harm the economy. The president imposed tariff rates of 10% and up on imports from nearly all countries, which upended global markets and sparked fears of a recession, prompting Trump to later issue a 90-day pause on the worst of his tariffs and only keep a 10% baseline rate in place. The tariffs have remained broadly controversial and sparked multiple legal challenges, and in addition to the two lawsuits that have so far resulted in rulings against Trump’s tariffs, additional cases have been filed by other businesses and the state of California. Trump has defended his tariff policy despite the controversy—while frequently flip-flopping on the specifics of it—though it remains to be seen what the “Liberation Day” tariffs will look like when the 90-day pause ends next month.