US trade court blocks Trump from imposing sweeping tariffs

NEW YORK -- A US federal court blocked on Wednesday President Donald Trump from imposing sweeping tariffs on imports under an emergency-powers law.

The ruling from a New York-based Court of International Trade came after a number of lawsuits arguing Trump has overstepped his authority on imposing across-the-board duties on imports.

A panel of three judges ruled that the executive orders entailing fentanyl-related tariffs on goods from Canada, Mexico and China as well as the "worldwide, retaliatory" tariffs announced on April 2 "will be vacated and their operation permanently enjoined."

The International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) does not authorize any of the executive orders mentioned above, said an opinion by the court.

"The worldwide and retaliatory tariff orders exceed any authority granted to the President by IEEPA to regulate importation by means of tariffs. The Trafficking Tariffs fail because they do not deal with the threats set forth in those orders," said the opinion.

There is no question of narrowly tailored relief, meaning if the challenged tariff orders are unlawful as to the plaintiffs, they are unlawful as to all, added the opinion.

The judges ruled on two cases against the US federal government filed by five businesses on April 14 and 12 states on April 23.

The IEEPA does not authorize the US president to impose across-the-board tariffs, and not even authorize tariffs at all, argued the complaint by a group of small businesses.

"By claiming the authority to impose immense and ever-changing tariffs on whatever goods entering the United States he chooses, for whatever reason he finds convenient to declare an emergency, the President has upended the constitutional order and brought chaos to the American economy," said a coalition of 12 US states in their complaint.

"It is not for unelected judges to decide how to properly address a national emergency. President Trump pledged to put America first, and the Administration is committed to using every lever of executive power to address this crisis and restore American greatness," said a White House spokesperson in response to the ruling.