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Informist, Friday, Feb. 20, 2026

 

--CNBC: US Supreme Court strikes down Trump tariffs 

 

NEW DELHI – The US Supreme Court Friday struck down most of President Donald Trump's tariffs, noting that he exceeded his authority when imposing sweeping import duties on nearly all of Washington's trading partners, according to various media reports. The ruling effectively blocks the Trump administration's reciprocal tariffs and punitive tariffs imposed on countries for rejecting the US president's demands. 

 

In a 6–3 decision, the conservative-majority court held that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act "does not authorise the President to impose tariffs," effectively blocking the use of the law to justify such trade measures. Trump has been invoking emergency economic powers to impose duties, including reciprocal duties aimed at trade practices the US government described as unfair. Trump also used the emergency provision to impose a separate round of duties on Mexico, Canada, and China linked to concerns over illegal drug flows and immigration.

 

The emergency provision does not explicitly mention tariffs. Instead, it allows the president to "regulate...importation" of foreign property transactions after declaring a national emergency to deal with certain "unusual and extraordinary" threats. The Trump administration has argued that language empowers the president to impose tariffs on foreign goods, which the Supreme Court ruled against.

 

Previously, the Trump administration had imposed 25% reciprocal tariffs on Indian goods and 25% punitive tariffs for New Delhi's energy ties with Russia. Under the proposed India-US trade deal, Washington has agreed to cut reciprocal tariffs on Indian goods to 18% and scrap the 25% punitive tariffs. 

 

The judgment does not affect sector-specific tariffs that Trump has imposed separately on imports such as steel, aluminium and other goods. Investigations that could eventually result in additional sector-based tariffs are still underway.  End

 

Compiled by Afra Abubacker

Filed by Akul Nishant Akhoury

 

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