Supreme Court weighs Trump tariffs

The Supreme Court is now at the center of two of Donald Trump’s biggest legal fights: the scope of presidential power over trade and the administration’s attack on birthright citizenship. In the tariffs case, the justices already ruled on February 20 that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or IEEPA, did not give Trump authority to impose the sweeping “Liberation Day” tariffs. (supremecourt.gov) In the citizenship case, a decision is still pending as Trump publicly pressures the court, saying this week that it would be “a disgrace” if the justices ruled against him. (mediaite.com) The tariff ruling is already producing follow-on litigation, including a proposed class action accusing Amazon of keeping money tied to invalidated tariff charges. (finance.yahoo.com) ### What exactly did the Supreme Court decide on the tariffs? On February 20, 2026, the Supreme Court held in *Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump* that IEEPA does not authorize the president to impose tariffs. The case was argued on November 5, 2025 and decided after the court took the unusual step of granting review before judgment from the lower appeals process. The opinion addressed one of Trump’s signature trade moves from April 2025, when he used emergency powers to impose broad tariffs on imports from multiple countries. Legal analyses of the ruling say the decision invalidated the “Liberation Day” tariff program and sharply limited the use of IEEPA as a trade tool. (supremecourt.gov) ### Why did the case matter beyond tariff rates? Article I of the Constitution gives Congress the power to levy duties and imposts, and the court’s ruling turned on whether Congress had delegated that authority through IEEPA. The Supreme Court framed the question as whether the statute authorizes the president to impose tariffs at all. (supremecourt.gov) Trade lawyers at Ropes & Gray and Bracewell said the ruling has broad consequences for importers, refund claims and future attempts by presidents to use emergency statutes to reshape trade policy. Those analyses are not the court’s holding, but they reflect how businesses and lawyers are reading the decision’s reach. (ropesgray.com) ### How is Trump talking about the birthright-citizenship case? Trump told reporters on May 21 that it would be “a disgrace” if the Supreme Court allowed birthright citizenship to remain in place. Mediaite and other outlets reported the comment as the administration awaits a decision in one of the term’s most closely watched immigration cases. (supremecourt.gov) CBS News and USA Today both listed the birthright-citizenship dispute among the major decisions still expected before the term ends around late June. Reuters also reported this week that Supreme Court rulings are looming in several Trump-related cases, including disputes tied to the president’s use of executive power. (ropesgray.com) ### Where does Amazon fit into a Supreme Court tariffs story? A proposed class action filed in Seattle in May accuses Amazon of failing to return tariff-related money to customers after the February ruling. Yahoo Finance reported that the suit alleges Amazon kept “hundreds of millions” in refunds tied to tariff costs that shoppers had effectively paid through higher prices. (mediaite.com) MoneyWise, citing the complaint, said the plaintiffs argue Amazon has not passed through money recovered from the government under the post-ruling refund process. Amazon’s role makes the tariff fight more than a separation-of-powers case; it is now also a consumer and corporate liability dispute playing out in federal court. (cbsnews.com) ### What happens next at the court? The Supreme Court typically releases its biggest opinions in the final weeks of the term, and major outlets expect remaining rulings by late June 2026. That leaves the birthright-citizenship case, and other Trump-related disputes over executive authority, on the court’s near-term calendar. (finance.yahoo.com) In Seattle, the Amazon lawsuit will proceed on its own schedule as the parties litigate whether consumers are entitled to any recovered tariff money. At the court, the next concrete milestone is the release of additional opinions before the term’s expected end in June. (finance.yahoo.com) (cbsnews.com) (moneywise.com)