The high court will assess whether the 1977 law grants the executive branch emergency tariff powers.
The Supreme Court agreed to take on a case challenging the imposition of widespread tariffs by President Donald Trump’s administration. After the president placed steep tariffs against countries across the world earlier this year, two family-owned businesses in Washington, D.C., sued his administration. The two businesses stated that the new tariffs will cost them $100 million in 2025 alone, nearly 45 times as much as they paid on tariffs in 2024.
The two businesses claimed that the president invoked the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) illegally to enact his tariffs. The 1977 law allows the president to take action to “deal with any unusual and extraordinary threat” to “national security, foreign policy, or economy of the United States,” and the plaintiffs allege that there is not a substantial enough threat to invoke IEEPA.
The D.C. District Court ruled in favor of the plaintiffs and blocked the president’s administration from enforcing the tariffs. President Trump’s administration appealed the case to the D.C. Circuit Court.
The two businesses took the unusual step of filing their case directly with the Supreme Court before the appeals court had even begun to process the appeal. The plaintiffs requested that the Supreme Court act quickly. Oral arguments have been scheduled for November, and a ruling could potentially be handed down before the end of the year.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For wisdom for the justices of the Supreme Court as they prepare to begin the autumn session.
- For the president and U.S. commerce and trade officials to be discerning as they negotiate trade agreements and impose tariffs.
Sources: SCOTUS Blog, NPR, AP News,
