Supreme Court blocks Trump’s emergency tariffs, curbing presidential trade power
Feb 22nd 2026
In a 6-3 decision the court invalidated the president’s use of a 1977 statute to impose sweeping import duties that generated most 2025 tariff revenue, narrowing emergency trade authority.
- The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that the president could not rely on a 1977 law to impose the challenged tariffs.
- The invalidated duties produced almost two thirds of the roughly $200 billion in tariff revenue collected in 2025.
- President Trump publicly condemned the ruling and warned of economic and geopolitical fallout.
- The decision limits a president’s ability to rapidly impose tariffs as an emergency foreign policy tool.
- Politically, the ruling could let the administration avoid quickly restoring some duties amid voter concerns about inflation.