The US Supreme Court struck down the sweeping tariffs imposed by Donald Trump that he pursued under a law intended for use during national emergencies, delivering a significant legal setback to the Republican leader, reuters reported.
In a landmark opinion issued on Friday, the justices, in a 6-3 ruling authored by conservative Chief Justice John Roberts, upheld a lower court’s decision that Trump exceeded his authority in invoking a 1977 law to impose sweeping tariffs.
The court held that the statute in question — International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or IEEPA, did not grant the president the power he claimed to impose broad tariff measures on multiple US trading partners.
Several countries reacted swiftly to the development following the court’s decision on US tariffs, with the government’s closely watching the implications for global trade flows and diplomatic ties.
Here’s what countries said
Responding to the ruling, Canada said that the Supreme Court ruling affirms that Trump tariffs were ‘unjustified’. Canada faces 35% tariffs on its goods, although most are exempt under the existing US-Canada-Mexico (USMCA) free trade agreement. It is also affected by the blanket 50% levy on imported metals and 25% duty on non-US cars.
Meanwhile the UK government said it ‘will work with’ US over impact of tariffs ruling, according to a spokesperson. The baseline tariff that Britain faced under the reciprocal tariffs was 10%.
(More to come)
