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Several states and small businesses have contended that the president overstepped his bounds by invoking emergency powers to impose import tariffs on goods from virtually every nation worldwide.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a significant decision on Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court declared that President Donald Trump does not have the authority to enforce sweeping global tariffs.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced via social media that President Trump plans to address the nation regarding the court’s decision at a news conference scheduled for 12:45 p.m. Eastern Time.
In a decisive 6-3 ruling, the justices concluded that the president lacks the power to implement tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, as argued by the Trump administration.
The majority opinion emphasized that the U.S. Constitution explicitly assigns the responsibility for levying taxes, including tariffs, to Congress. “The Framers did not entrust any aspect of the taxing authority to the Executive Branch,” Chief Justice John Roberts stated in the court’s opinion.
Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Brett Kavanaugh dissented.
Friday’s decision does not stop the president from imposing duties under other laws. While those have more limitations on the speed and severity of Trump’s actions, top administration officials have said they expect to keep the tariff framework in place under other authorities.
The ruling came down when Trump was meeting with a group of governors at the White House.
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry said the tariff ruling “completely overshadowed” what was “getting ready to be a very productive meeting with the president.”
“I think it was unfortunate that the Supreme Court came out with a bad ruling at that time because I think we’re going to have a great meeting,” Landry told reporters after.
The court majority also did not address whether companies could get refunded for the billions they have collectively paid in tariffs. Many companies, including the big-box warehouse chain Costco, have already lined up to demand refunds in lower courts. Kavanaugh noted the process could be complicated.
Justices on the nation’s highest court made the decision months after they agreed to take up an unusually quick hearing on the case at the request of the Trump administration.
Numerous small businesses and states that challenged the tariffs argued that Trump illegally used emergency powers to set import taxes on goods from nearly every country in the world, putting their businesses at risk of bankruptcy.
Federal officials countered by saying they have the power to regulate imports and the country would be on “the brink of economic catastrophe” if the president were barred from exercising unilateral tariff authority.
The Republican president has been vocal about the case, calling it one of the most important in U.S. history and saying a ruling against him would be an economic body blow to the country. But legal opposition crossed the political spectrum, including libertarian and pro-business groups that are typically aligned with the GOP.
Polling has found tariffs aren’t broadly popular with the public, amid wider voter concern about affordability.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.