Trump’s tariffs are illegal, US appeals court rules but leaves them in place for now

Ruling paves way for Supreme Court showdown

Products imported from India are among items subject to President Donald Trump's tariffs. EPA

A US federal appeals court ruled on Friday that President Donald Trump had no legal right to impose sweeping tariffs but left in place for now his effort to build a protectionist wall around the American economy.

The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled Mr Trump was not legally allowed to declare national emergencies and impose import taxes on almost every country on Earth, largely upholding a May decision by a specialised federal trade court in New York.

But the court's 7-4 decision tossed out a part of that ruling, striking down the tariffs immediately, allowing his administration time to appeal to the Supreme Court.

Mr Trump blasted the ruling by the “highly partisan appeals court” and said tariffs remain in effect.

“If these tariffs ever went away, it would be a total disaster for the country,” he wrote

President Donald Trump posted this message on Truth Social on August 29, 2025.

Mr Trump has made tariffs a pillar of US foreign policy in his second term, using them to exert political pressure and renegotiate trade deals with countries that export goods to the US.

The tariffs have given the Trump administration a way to extract economic concessions from trading partners but have also increased volatility in financial markets.

“The statute bestows significant authority on the President to undertake a number of actions in response to a declared national emergency, but none of these actions explicitly include the power to impose tariffs, duties, or the like, or the power to tax,” the court said.