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Breaking: Supreme Court Strikes Down Trump’s Global Tariffs in 6-3 Ruling February 20, 2026 (0 comments)

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WASHINGTON, D.C.--President Trump’s global tariffs are illegal, the Supreme Court ruled Friday, in a repudiation of a signature White House initiative.

The 6-3 decision, written by Chief Justice John Roberts, removes a tool of pressure that Trump has aggressively wielded to remake U.S. trade deals and collect tens of billions of dollars from companies importing foreign goods. The ruling didn’t directly address whether the government will have to pay back the tariff revenue it has already collected reported to be approximately $133 billion over the past year, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Three conservative justices—Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Brett Kavanaugh—dissented.

The case involved two categories of tariffs. Trump imposed one category on virtually every country in the world, ostensibly to repair trade deficits, the WSJ reported. He imposed the other set of tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China, saying those countries are responsible for the flow of illegal fentanyl into the U.S.

The court rejected Trump’s argument that a 1977 law, the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, implicitly authorized both groups of tariffs.

Trump vows to impose new 10% tariffs. The WSJ also notes that businesses are still paying the tariffs as it will take days or weeks for Customs and Borders Protection to officially tell the levies are no longer enforced.

Read more in the The Wall Street Journal (subscription required).

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