Court finds Trump’s tariffs an illegal use of emergency power, but leaves them in place for now

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 ruling from the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit 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.

“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.

The president vowed to do just that. “If allowed to stand, this Decision would literally destroy the United States of America,” Trump wrote on his social media platform.

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

An attorney for small businesses affected by the tariffs, meanwhile, said the ruling shows Trump doesn’t have unlimited power to impose tariffs on his own.