News
The Court of International Trade, based in New York City, has largely upended President Donald Trump’s tariff agenda this week.
By: Brad Randall, Broadband Communities
President Donald Trump was dealt a major political blow by a federal court in New York City this week.
The Court of International Trade, which has jurisdiction over matters of trade, ruled yesterday to block Trump’s so-called “Liberation Day” tariffs.
The Liberation Day tariffs in question, announced April 2, were extensive in nature, establishing a “minimum baseline” 10 percent tariff on imports from all foreign nations.
The announced tariffs also issued what Trump billed as “reciprocal” tariffs on many other nations, which far exceeded 10%.
However, with Wednesday’s ruling, the court decided that the president overstepped his authority with the announced tariffs, according to Reuters.
In their decision, the court, comprised of a three-judge panel, stated that Trump’s use of tariffs as leverage is “impermissible.”
As Reuters reported, the president’s administration, which is appealing the decision, has been directed to issue new orders in the wake of the court’s ruling.
Trump had previously claimed authority to issue the tariffs without Congressional approval under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
Meanwhile, the court’s decision also left tariffs imposed under the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 in place, according to the Associated Press.
One of the panel’s judges, Judge Timothy Reif, a Trump-appointee, wrote that the court doesn’t read the International Emergency Economic Powers Act as delegating unbounded tariff authority to the president.
Meanwhile, the White House has pushed back on the trade court’s unanimous ruling.
“It is not for unelected judges to decide how to properly address a national emergency,” White House spokesman Kush Desai said following the ruling, Newsweek reported.
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