The conservative-majority US Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act “does not authorise the President to impose tariffs”. The conservative-majority high court ruled 6-3 in the judgement, saying the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) “does not authorise the President to impose tariffs”. Trump has used tariffs — taxes ‌on imported goods — as a key economic and foreign policy tool since returning to office last year. In November he told reporters that without his tariffs “the rest of the world would laugh at us because they’ve used tariffs against us for years and took advantage of us”. Trump’s Justice Department had argued that the IEEPA allows tariffs by authorising the president to “regulate” imports to address emergencies.

Source: Bangkok Post February 20, 2026 15:51 UTC