Trump’s tariffs illegal: US top court strikes down tariffs imposed across globe
The United States Supreme Court on Friday ruled that President Donald Trump violated federal law with his sweeping unilateral tariffs across the globe, in a huge setback to the White House on an issue that has Trump’s foreign policy and economic agenda. The ruling is widely seen as the big blow to Donald Trump’s second administration at the conservative-leaning Supreme Court. Just last year, the bench had consistently backed the president through a string of emergency decisions related to immigration, the removal of independent agency heads and sweeping reductions in federal spending.In a 6-3 verdict, the court held that the tariffs went beyond the scope of the law, with Chief Justice John Roberts authoring the majority opinion.“The president asserts the extraordinary power to unilaterally impose tariffs of unlimited amount, duration, and scope,” Roberts wrote for the court, reported CNN. “In light of the breadth, history, and constitutional context of that asserted authority, he must identify clear congressional authorization to exercise it.”The judgment is expected to offer major relief to economies worldwide.The legal challenge to Donald Trump’s tariff regime has emerged as a crucial test of the limits of presidential power, with the court’s decision likely to have far-reaching consequences for the global economy.On January 12, 2026, Trump wrote on Truth Social that if the Supreme Court were to rule against the United States on tariffs, the country could face repayments amounting to hundreds of billions of dollars. He added that this estimate would exclude potential compensation claims from countries and companies that had invested in new plants, factories and equipment to sidestep tariff payments.Including such investments, he warned, the financial burden could run into trillions of dollars, creating a situation that would be extremely difficult for the country to manage and possibly take years to calculate and settle. He also argued that a ruling against the tariffs would deal a severe blow to the United States’ national security-driven trade policy.
