Federal court hears new case against Trump’s latest global tariffs
The U.S. Court of International Trade, a specialized court in New York, is hearing oral arguments Friday.
The U.S. Court of International Trade, a specialized court in New York, is hearing oral arguments Friday.
The administration opened a trade investigation to examine whether excess industrial capacity and government backing could give foreign manufacturers an unfair advantage over U.S. companies.
The Democratic attorneys general and governors in the lawsuit argue that President Trump is overstepping his power with planned 15% tariffs on much of the world.
The federal government collected more than $130 billion in the now-defunct tariffs through mid-December and could ultimately be on the hook for refunds worth $175 billion.
Over the past few years the global supply chain has faced other major disruptions like COVID supply shortages and other recent Mideast conflicts and has become more nimble.
President Trump last month put a 10% universal levy in place after the Supreme Court invalidated most of his previous tariff regime.
The Justice Department had urged the Federal Circuit to proceed cautiously and hold off for 90 days. But the judges refused.
The plan — which the president announced on social media — is higher than the 10% rate he imposed immediately after the high court struck down his earlier tariffs.
American companies boosted imports of computer chips and other tech goods from Taiwan to support massive investments in artificial intelligence.
The agreement comes as the U.S. remains reliant on Taiwan for its production of computer chips.
Trump’s threat comes as the relationship between the U.S. and Canada increasingly sours during the U.S. president’s second term.
The threat is the latest salvo in President Trump’s trade war with America’s northern neighbor as his feud with Prime Minister Mark Carney expands.
South Korean Industry Minister Kim Jung-Kwan, who is currently visiting Canada, will soon travel to the U.S. for talks with Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick.
Beijing paused any purchase of U.S. soybeans last summer during its trade war with Washington, D.C., but agreed to resume buying from American soybean farmers after President Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping met in South Korea and agreed to a truce.
The 191-nation International Monetary Fund said the world economy “continues to show notable resilience despite significant U.S.-led trade disruptions and heightened uncertainty.”
Some of Trump’s unrealized threats reflect a broader approach from a president with a track record of using sky-high levies to pressure other countries into new trade deals.
The United States-Mexico-Canada trade pact, or USMCA, is up for review in 2026. U.S. President Donald Trump negotiated the deal in his first term and included a clause to possibly renegotiate the deal in 2026.
President Trump has been under pressure to approve an aid package for farmers, who have struggled under sinking crop prices and increasing costs for equipment, fertilizer and other production expenses.
The aid comes amid rising frustration among farmers on the slow pace of Chinese purchases, which Beijing clamped down on earlier this year in retaliation for Trump’s escalating tariff barrage.
At issue in the pair of combined cases before the Supreme Court is whether the president exceeded his authority by relying on a 1977 law to impose the tariffs.