A federal appeals court has temporarily reinstated U.S. President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs, reversing a recent trade court ruling that had blocked them on the grounds that Trump exceeded his legal authority.
The U.S. Court of International Trade had found that Trump’s use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), a law designed to address national emergencies, was an overreach when applied to tariffs. The court emphasized that the power to impose tariffs lies with Congress, not the president, blocking Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China, which Trump had accused of enabling the flow of fentanyl into the U.S.
However, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit paused the lower court’s ruling, keeping the tariffs in place during the appeals process, granting plaintiffs until June 5 and the Trump administration until June 9 to submit responses.
