In a decision on 20 February, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the high duties imposed by a series of decrees by President Donald Trump were illegal.
The decision was adopted by six votes to three. According to him, the duties exceed the powers granted to the President by Congress under the 1977 law.
At issue is the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, known as IEEPA. This law allows the president to regulate trade during national emergencies caused by foreign threats.
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At the same time, the court did not comment on whether or how exactly the federal government should provide reimbursement to importers who have paid the duties, which are estimated to be worth more than $200 billion in 2025.
One of the three justices who dissented, Brett Kavanaugh, laid out in a separate opinion that Trump was not outside the scope of the IEEPA law, which gives the president the authority to regulate international trade “during a national emergency.”
Donald Trump has announced several times that he will impose substantial duties on goods from other countries once he takes office in January 2025. In particular, on 17 January, he announced that a 10% duty would be imposed on all goods coming into the US from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands and Finland from 1 February. From 1 June it will rise to 25%. He added that “this duty will be payable until an agreement is reached on the full and absolute purchase of Greenland.”