President Donald Trump overstepped the limits of executive authority when he used emergency powers to levy tariffs, a federal appeals court ruled on Friday.
That decision, from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, is the latest in a string of legal losses for Trump's tariffs, which were previously ruled unlawful by the Court of International Trade (CIT) and a federal district court. In the 7-4 ruling handed down Friday, the majority upheld the CIT's decision that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) did not authorize a president to impose tariffs.
"We agree that IEEPA's grant of presidential authority to 'regulate' imports does not authorize the tariffs imposed by the Executive Orders," wrote court ruled. The majority opinion says that Trump's tariffs would "assert an expansive authority" that is "beyond the authority delegated to the President by IEEPA."
