Tariff crisis Voices about tariffs

Analysis: Supreme Court declares independence

Donald Trump acted outside his authority when he started a trade war with the entire world in April last year. The Supreme Court ruled on Friday in its interpretation of the emergency law IEEPA. The international media described the outcome as a constitutional victory.

“The judges did their job, and for that the United States owes them a thank you,” writes Financial Times’ Brooke Masters.

“A victory for the rule of law,” writes Bloomberg’s Jonathan Levin and continues:

“It is worth celebrating that the principle of separation of powers – at least in the case of IEEPA – has prevented abuse of executive power.”

The New York Times’ Adam Liptak fills in and describes the ruling as a “declaration of independence.” He points out that six of the nine judges are conservatives and that three were appointed by Trump himself.

However, the Supreme Court’s decision does not put an end to the chaos, Gabriel Rubin notes in a commentary for Reuters. In addition to the question of refund being unanswered, Trump is expected to test whether other laws can allow him to continue to bypass Congress on the tariff issue.

“The powers under which he imposed tariffs on steel and aluminum, as well as those linked to national security, are not affected,” he writes.

Analysis: Historic decision – about more than tariffs

The US Supreme Court’s decision that the extensive punitive tariffs that Donald Trump imposed last spring violate the law is a historic setback for the president. Several American media outlets are writing this.

“It is no exaggeration to say that this is a historic decision,” writes Bloomberg’s Shawn Donnan.

He notes that the White House interpreted it as giving them broad powers under the Emergency Powers Act (IEEPA).

“Now the court has ruled that that is not true. This means that any late-night threats on social media will sound a little more false.”

The New York Times’ Tony Romm is on a similar track but goes even further. He argues that the issue is not just about tariffs but the very way Trump governs.

“Tariffs were the tool he used to force companies to manufacture goods in the United States, open up foreign markets, push for an end to foreign conflicts, and exert power globally,” he writes.

Trump's USA  Votes on tariffs
JD Vance: The Supreme Court is downright lawless

US Vice President JD Vance calls the US Supreme Court “downright lawless” in a post on X.

His post comes after the court ruled, on the contrary, that Donald Trump's decision on trade tariffs was made on an unlawful basis. In its decision, the Supreme Court writes that only Congress has the power to impose tariffs, or delegate that power to the president. But Congress has not done so according to the law Trump is citing.

Vance writes that the court's decision ignores the fact that the president has been given the right to “regulate imports” by Congress.

“And the only effect is that it will be more difficult for the president to protect American industries and the resilience of supply chains,” he writes, adding that Trump has a wealth of other options for imposing trade tariffs.