A US federal court has blocked President Donald Trump’s sweeping global trade tariffs, in a major blow to a key component of his economic policies.
The Court of International Trade ruled that an emergency law invoked by the White House did not give the president unilateral authority to impose tariffs on nearly every one of the world’s countries.
The New York-based court said the US Constitution gave Congress exclusive powers to regulate commerce with other nations, and that this was not superseded by the president’s remit to safeguard the economy.
The Trump administration said it would appeal within minutes of the ruling.
The ruling was based on two separate cases. The nonpartisan Liberty Justice Center brought one case on behalf of several small businesses that import goods from countries that were targeted by the duties, while a coalition of US state governments also challenged the import taxes.
The two cases mark the first major legal challenges to Trump’s so-called “Liberation Day” tariffs.
BBC
