Appeals court temporarily reinstates Trump tariffs

WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court on Thursday temporarily reinstated most of President Donald Trump’s contested tariffs, pausing lower court rulings that had declared the levies illegal.

The decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit grants the Trump administration’s request for an immediate administrative stay, allowing the tariffs to remain in place while appeals are considered.

The order came just a day after the U.S. Court of International Trade ruled that Trump had overreached by invoking the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977 (IEEPA) to impose tariffs on a wide range of imports. That court found the tariffs exceeded the scope of presidential authority under the statute, and issued a permanent injunction blocking their enforcement.

See also:

• The latest court ruling on tariffs: Here’s what it means for home furnishings
• How 1 case goods supplier is staying nimble amidst tariff headwinds

A second federal judge in Washington D.C. issued a similar ruling Thursday morning in a separate case, further complicating the administration’s trade agenda. But the appeals court’s stay effectively freezes both rulings for now.

“In the above-captioned cases, the United States Court of International Trade entered judgment against the United States and permanently enjoined certain Executive Orders imposing various tariffs,” the appeals court wrote in its order. “The request for an immediate administrative stay is granted to the extent that the judgments and the permanent injunctions entered by the Court of International Trade in these cases are temporarily stayed until further notice while this court considers the motions papers.”

The order also consolidates the government’s appeals into a single case and sets an expedited schedule: plaintiffs must respond to the stay motion by June 5, and the government has until June 9 to reply.

The lower courts’ rulings had challenged Trump’s broad use of emergency powers to reshape U.S. trade policy, arguing that the IEEPA was not intended to authorize sweeping economic interventions without congressional approval. “It is about whether IEEPA enables the President to unilaterally impose, revoke, pause, reinstate, and adjust tariffs to reorder the global economy,” wrote U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras in one opinion. “The Court agrees with Plaintiffs that it does not.”

While the ultimate legal outcome remains uncertain, Thursday’s appeals court decision means Trump’s tariffs will remain in effect for the time being.