Trade court docket growth
Social posts reported the federal trade court is processing an influx of cases — including an FTC injunction involving Stormy Wellington and more than 3,000 tariff‑refund suits after a recent Supreme Court ruling on trade authority ( ). The coverage frames the court as a focal point for contested trade remedies and enforcement actions in the wake of the decision ( ).
The United States Court of International Trade is handling a surge of tariff-refund litigation after the Supreme Court struck down a major set of import duties in February. (nbcnews.com) The court sits in New York and hears disputes over customs, tariffs, and trade laws nationwide. In one lead case, *Atmus Filtration v. United States*, Judge Richard Eaton issued a March 4 order directing Customs and Border Protection to refund duties collected under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act after the Supreme Court’s February 20, 2026 decision in *Learning Resources v. Trump*. (cit.uscourts.gov; sullcrom.com) Law firms tracking the docket said the ruling triggered thousands of new cases from importers seeking to preserve refund claims while the court and Customs worked out a payment process. Skadden said more than 330,000 importers paid the duties across more than 53 million entries, and Reuters reported the government is preparing to refund about $166 billion. (skadden.com; nbcnews.com) The procedural fight is now about mechanics as much as legality. Customs told the court it built a new refund system called Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries, or CAPE, and said the first phase would open on April 20 so importers can receive one electronic payment instead of entry-by-entry refunds. (cbsnews.com; idahobusinessreview.com) Judge Eaton revised his refund orders several times in March, including a March 27 amendment that extended relief to entries whose liquidation had already become final. Trade lawyers said that change widened the pool of importers who could seek money back and increased the administrative burden on Customs. (thompsonhine.com; diaztradelaw.com) The original lead case then dropped out. Atmus filed a notice of dismissal on April 6, and Judge Eaton shifted the refund fight into *Euro-Notions Florida, Inc. v. U.S. Customs and Border Protection*, keeping the broader dispute alive even after the named plaintiff exited. (internationaltradeinsights.com; thompsonhinesmartrade.com) The trade court is also separate from the consumer-protection case involving Stormy Wellington that circulated in the same online discussion. The Federal Trade Commission filed that case on April 13 in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, not in the Court of International Trade, and said Wellington stipulated to an order barring deceptive earnings claims tied to two multilevel marketing companies. (ftc.gov; ftc.gov) Wellington disputed the government’s portrayal in a local television interview on April 15 and said her business model was being mischaracterized. The Federal Trade Commission’s complaint, however, alleges most recruits made little or no money and says the order prohibits future misleading income claims. (hoodline.com; ftc.gov) For now, the Court of International Trade remains the main forum for the tariff-refund wave, while Customs races to process claims and judges keep rewriting the rules of repayment in real time. (cit.uscourts.gov; cbsnews.com)
