The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has filed an appeal against a ruling from the U.S. Court of International Trade. The court had declared the 10% global tariff imposed on imports in February to be illegal.
The appeal was filed on Friday, following the court's decision from the previous day. The judges ruled 2-1 that Trump lacked the legal authority to implement the broad tariff increase under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974. The dissenting judge argued it was premature to rule in favor of the companies that brought the case.
Despite the ruling, the court's injunction currently only applies to the three plaintiffs in the lawsuit: two small businesses and the state of Washington. This legal setback for Trump's trade policy comes just one week before a scheduled meeting between the U.S. President and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, where trade tensions are expected to be a key topic of discussion.
The dispute also opens the door for a significant new legal fight over billions of dollars in potential tariff refunds. This follows a Supreme Court decision three months prior that struck down Trump's earlier global tariffs, which were based on the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. The Supreme Court ruled at that time that Trump did not have the authority to impose those tariffs using that emergency law.
In response to that Supreme Court decision, the administration implemented the new 10% tariff on all imports, this time citing Section 122 of the Trade Act. These current tariffs were designed to be temporary and are set to expire on July 24 unless extended by the U.S. Congress.
Commenting on the latest court decision, President Trump criticized the judges involved in the case. He characterized the ruling as coming from "two radical left judges."
Based on reporting from g1.