🚨 MAJOR BREAKING: The Supreme Court has ruled that Trump does NOT have the authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose tariffs — delivering a major blow to Trump’s sweeping “emergency” tariff regime.

🚨 MAJOR BREAKING: The Supreme Court has ruled that Trump does NOT have the authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose tariffs — delivering a major blow to Trump’s sweeping “emergency” tariff regime.

This was a 6–3 decision. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the majority opinion, joined by Justices Sotomayor, Kagan, Gorsuch, Barrett, and Jackson. Justice Kavanaugh dissented, joined by Justices Thomas and Alito.

In a landmark decision with sweeping implications for presidential trade powers, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that former President Donald Trump does not have the authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose tariffs, dealing a significant blow to his controversial “emergency” tariff framework.

The ruling clarifies the limits of executive authority under IEEPA, a 1977 law designed to give presidents broad powers to respond to extraordinary foreign threats during a declared national emergency. While the statute allows actions such as freezing assets and restricting financial transactions, the Court found that it does not grant the president unilateral authority to levy tariffs — a power traditionally reserved for Congress under Article I of the Constitution.

Trump had relied on IEEPA as part of a broader strategy to justify sweeping tariffs on certain foreign imports, arguing that trade imbalances and supply chain vulnerabilities constituted national emergencies. Critics contended that the move stretched the statute beyond its intended purpose and sidestepped Congress’s constitutional role in regulating commerce.

In its opinion, the Court emphasized that emergency powers must be interpreted narrowly when they encroach on core legislative functions. The majority wrote that while the president retains significant authority in matters of foreign affairs and national security, the imposition of tariffs represents a form of taxation and trade regulation that requires clear congressional authorization.

Legal analysts say the decision not only curtails the use of IEEPA for tariff-based trade policy but may also reshape how future administrations invoke emergency powers in economic matters. The ruling reinforces the constitutional balance of powers, signaling that even in times of declared emergency, executive authority is not unlimited.

Supporters of Trump criticized the decision as weakening the president’s ability to respond swiftly to global economic threats. Meanwhile, congressional leaders from both parties welcomed the ruling as a reaffirmation of legislative authority over trade.

The decision marks a pivotal moment in the ongoing debate over the scope of presidential emergency powers and could have lasting consequences for U.S. trade policy moving forward.