US Supreme Court takes up Trump’s fast-moving appeal to decide legality of global tariffs
The Supreme Court has put the case on fast-track and scheduled the oral arguments for the first week of November.
After the appeals court ruled against the global tariffs, Trump had criticised the verdict. (Photo: Reuters) The US Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to hear a fast-moving appeal filed by President Donald Trump’s administration to decide upon the legality of global tariffs, which would set up a major test of one of the boldest decisions taken by the Republican leader that remains central to his economic and trade agenda.
The country’s apex court on Tuesday said it would review a US lower court verdict that found Trump overstepped his authority to impose most of the tariffs under a federal law which was originally meant for emergencies.
The Supreme Court acted swiftly after the federal government requested to review the case last week, which involves trillions of dollars in custom duties over the next decade. The Supreme Court has put the case on fast-track and scheduled the oral arguments for the first week of November. The court begins its next nine-months term from October 6 onwards.
Trump invoked a 1977 law known as the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or IEEPA to impose the sweeping tariffs on almost all of America’s trading partners, which the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington on August 29 deemed illegal and termed it an “overreach” of the presidential powers.
However, the tariffs would remain in effect during the appeal to the Supreme Court until a verdict is out. The case against Trump’s “reciprocal tariffs” was brought in by five small businesses that import goods, including a New York wine and spirits importer and a Pennsylvania-based sport fishing retailer, Reuters reported.
The other case against Trump’s sweeping tariff was filed by 12 states, namely: Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Oregon and Vermont, and most of them are run by Democratic party.
After the appeals court ruled against the global tariffs, Trump had criticised the verdict and said, “If allowed to stand, this decision would literally destroy the United States of America.”
(with inputs from Reuters)
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