Supreme Court Strikes Down IEEPA Tariffs 6-3
The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that Trump lacked authority to impose tariffs under IEEPA, with Chief Justice Roberts writing he lacked "peacetime authority" to tax. Over $130 billion had already been collected.
On February 20, 2026, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) does not authorize the president to impose tariffs. Chief Justice Roberts wrote the majority opinion, joined by Sotomayor, Kagan, Gorsuch, Barrett, and Jackson.
Roberts stated Trump "lacked the peacetime authority" to impose tariffs, and that the Constitution reserves the power to tax to Congress. The government had already collected over $130 billion in tariff revenue under the now-invalidated authority.
The ruling wiped out the broader tariff regime that had pushed America's average tariff rate to 24.8% — the highest since 1901. Only narrower Section 232 tariffs survived. Justice Kavanaugh's dissent warned the decision could require billions in refunds to importers.
The ruling was a devastating repudiation of the centerpiece of Trump's economic agenda — the Supreme Court, including two of his own appointees, told him he had been acting without legal authority for over a year.