US Appeals Court Temporarily Restores Trump's Tariffs Amid Legal Battle

Court Decision on Tariffs

A federal appeals court in the United States has temporarily reinstated tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump, which had been previously blocked by a New York court, according to reports.

The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington has paused the ruling from the Court of International Trade in New York to review an appeal submitted by the government. The court has instructed the plaintiffs to present their arguments by June 5, while the administration must respond by June 9.

The ruling from Wednesday had halted tariffs that Trump enacted on imports under a law granting him special powers during emergencies. The court stated that the Constitution assigns Congress the exclusive power to regulate international trade, indicating that the president's emergency powers do not supersede this authority.

Nonetheless, the order did not affect the tariffs that Trump implemented under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, which included a 25% tax on most imported vehicles and all foreign-made steel and aluminum.

The government's appeal against the ruling argued that decisions regarding foreign policy and economic strategy should be made by political branches rather than the judiciary.

Trump expressed his discontent with the trade court's decision on social media, stating, “Hopefully, the Supreme Court will reverse this horrible, Country threatening decision, QUICKLY and DECISIVELY.”

Prior to the appeals court's order to temporarily restore the tariffs, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt remarked that the functioning of America could be compromised if any president's sensitive diplomatic or trade negotiations were undermined by activist judges.

On April 2, the United States announced reciprocal tariffs on numerous countries, including a 26% levy on India. Trump had consistently indicated his intention to impose a reciprocal tax on India and others, citing the high tariffs these nations impose on American goods.

On April 9, the reciprocal tariffs imposed by the US on various countries came into effect. Shortly thereafter, Trump reduced the tariff rates on imports from most nations to 10% for a period of 90 days to allow for trade negotiations. However, tariffs on China were raised to 125% at that time.

Trump attributed the increase in tariffs on Chinese imports to the “lack of respect” shown by Beijing towards global markets.

On May 12, both countries reached an agreement to suspend tariffs on each other's goods for 90 days, with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announcing that tariffs would be reduced by more than 100 percentage points to 10%.