The court for international trade in New York has declared the tariffs imposed by the US government null and void. President Trump exceeded his powers. A number of small US companies had sued.
A US federal court blocked the entry into force of President Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs. The Court of International Trade based in Manhattan said that the US constitution only grant the US Congress the authority to regulate trade with other countries. The emergency powers of the US President Trump to protect the US economy could not override this.
The president exceeded his powers when he bumped up tariffs to imports from countries that export more to the United States than importing. The tariffs in question “would be lifted and their application would be permanently prohibited,” it said in the decision.
“The court does not judge the wisdom or the likelihood of the use of tariffs as a means of pressure by the president. This assignment is not inadmissible because it is unclear or ineffective, but because the federal law does not allow it,” the three federal judges explained their decision.
US government immediately appeals
The decision is a bitter defeat for the US president – but the last word is probably not yet spoken. The US government immediately appealed against the decision.
The deputy chief of staff of the White House and one of the leading political consultants of Trump, Stephen Miller, criticized the court decision on social media: “The justice coup is completely out of control”.
According to the judgment, the US dollar has risen from both Swiss francs and the Japanese Yen. The US stock futures grew on the stock exchanges. There was cheering at the stock markets.
Laws of small US companies
The non-partisan Liberty Justice Center had filed a lawsuit on behalf of five small US companies. The companies import goods from countries affected by the new tariffs of the US president. The companies – from a New York wine and spirits importer to a manufacturer of school sets and musical instruments based in Virginia – said that the tariffs would affect their business opportunities.
Your lawsuit is one of seven judicial challenges by Trump’s customs policy, including from 13 US states and other groups of smaller companies.
