US appeals court finds Trump’s tariffs an illegal use of emergency power

A federal appeals court ruled Friday that President Donald Trump had no legal right to impose sweeping tariffs on almost every country on earth but left in place for now his effort to build a protectionist wall around the American economy, the Associated Press reported.

The 7-4 decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington, D.C., addressed the legality of what Trump calls “reciprocal” tariffs imposed as part of his trade war in April, as well as a separate set of tariffs imposed in February against China, Canada and Mexico.

The ruling found Trump overstepped his authority under an emergency powers law, a major legal blow that largely upheld a May decision by a specialized federal trade court in New York, AP said.

“It seems unlikely that Congress intended to … grant the President unlimited authority to impose tariffs,” the judges wrote in a 7-4 ruling.

But they did not strike down the tariffs immediately, allowing his administration until mid-October to appeal to the Supreme Court.

White House spokesman Kush Desai said Trump had acted lawfully, and “we look forward to ultimate victory on this matter.”

On the other hand, democratic Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon said he plans to force votes on “repealing these harmful, regressive taxes at every opportunity.”