Supreme Court is due hear arguments over the legality of Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs in a case with implications for the global economy that marks a major test of the Republican president’s powers and the willingness of the justices to let him push the limits of his authority.
The arguments are set to begin at 10am EST after lower courts ruled that Trump’s unprecedented use of a 1977 federal law meant for national emergencies to impose the tariffs exceeded his authority. The challenge involves three lawsuits brought by businesses affected by the tariffs and 12 US states, most of them Democratic-led.
Trump has heaped pressure on the Supreme Court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, to preserve tariffs that he has leveraged as a key economic and foreign policy tool. The tariffs could add up to trillions of dollars for the US over the next decade.
If the justices strike them down, “we would be defenceless, leading perhaps even to the ruination of our nation”, Trump wrote in a social media post on Sunday.
Highlighting the importance of the case to the administration, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent plans to attend arguments in person. Trump earlier had spoken of attending but decided against it.
If the Supreme Court rules against Trump, these tariffs are expected to remain as the administration switches to other legal authorities, Bessent told Reuters.
While the Supreme Court typically takes months to issue rulings after hearing arguments, the Trump administration has asked it to act swiftly in this case.
