 "US President Donald Trump delivered remarks on tariffs, in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington. A federal appeals court reinstated the most sweeping of President Donald Trump's tariffs. File image/Reuters")
The US Supreme Court handed President Donald Trump a major legal victory after it refused to put a challenge to his sweeping reciprocal tariffs on the fast track. On Friday, the Supreme Court justices rejected a scheduling request from two family-owned businesses seeking to invalidate many of Trump’s import taxes .
The rejection means that the Trump administration would have the normal 30 days to file a response to the case. The Tuesday court filing stated that the companies involved in the case were seeking a quick response from the Trump administration, a request which has now been rejected by the country’s apex court.
According to Bloomberg, the two family-owned businesses wanted the court to take the unusual step of considering the case without waiting for a federal appeals court to rule on the matter. Meanwhile, the Trump administration argued that the Supreme Court should let the normal appellate process play out.
Trump’s tariff went to the Supreme Court for the first time
It is pertinent to note that this is the first time the challenge to Trump’s reciprocal tariffs came to the US Supreme Court. As of now, the legal cases over tariffs are limited to district and federal courts.
Meanwhile, a federal district judge agreed with educational toy makers Learning Resources Inc. and Hand2Mind Inc., the two companies involved in the Supreme Court case, that the POTUS lacked the authority under the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act to issue sweeping reciprocal tariffs.
In a separate case, a federal appeals court ruled that the tariffs could stay in effect at least until that panel hears arguments on July 31. Both courts are dealing with Trump’s April 2 “Liberation Day” tariffs, which combine a universal baseline levy of 10 per cent with potentially higher rates for various trading partners.
It is pertinent to note that each of these suits also concerns at least some of Trump’s separate import taxes over fentanyl trafficking. The case that went to the Supreme Court is titled “Learning Resources v. Trump”.