A US Federal Court this past Friday ruled US President Donald Trump’s Big Beautiful Tariffs are illegal. But the Tariffs saga isn’t over, yet. Trump can still appeal to the US Supreme Court. And the current crazy Tariffs remain in place…
Trump signing an unprecedented stack of tariff
orders in the Oval Office earlier this year…
Friday’s ruling says Trump’s Tariffs clearly ‘overstep his power’. The court agreed with challengers, ruling that the ability to impose taxes, including tariffs, is, “a core Congressional power” that the Constitution grants to the legislative branch. However, all tariffs remain in force until an October deadline by which Trump team must file any further appeal they can pull out of their hat.
The usual disclaimers…
According to CNN, “Trump Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent argued, in a statement to the court, that suspending the administration’s tariffs would, ‘lead to dangerous diplomatic embarrassment’, interrupt ongoing negotiations, and pose risks of retaliation from other countries.”
Similarly, “Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick wrote that a ruling against Trump’s tariffs would cause, ‘irreparable harm’, to the US and risk ‘unwinding’ trade deals that Trump has already announced — such as frameworks with the European Union, United Kingdom and Japan.”
Furious
Trump won’t have much fun on the golf course this weekend following the Friday ruling: “All tariffs are still in effect!” The President posted in a furious social media rant late Friday. “If these tariffs ever went away, it would a total disaster for our country.”
The lawyer for the plaintifs in the case disagrees: “It’s a win for the American Constitution, that our founders basically said that decisions that are major over things like taxation have to be done by the Congress, not by the president and the stroke of his pen,” attorney Neal Kaytal told CNN’s Jake Tapper on Friday. “I think the court overwhelmingly today, in a 7-4 decision, rejected President Trump’s notion that he can do whatever he wants whenever he wants.”
Will appeal…
As hopeless as it now looks for the current tariffs, Attorney General Pam Bondi (see photo, top of page), said on social media that the administration WILL appeal. And At the same time, Katyal reassured reporters that the plaintiffs will be, “ready and willing to present our arguments to the Supreme Court about why this is such an illegal and dangerous usurpation of congressional authority.”
Observerers say it could be another year before the issue comes to a final resolution…
~ Maggie J.