WASHINGTON, United States – A federal appeals court ruled Friday that President Donald Trump has no legal right to impose tariffs on nearly every country on Earth.
But it maintained his efforts to build a firewall around the US economy.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled that Trump was not legally permitted to declare national emergencies. Therefore, he cannot impose import taxes from nearly every country on Earth.
This ruling largely upheld a decision issued by a specialized federal commercial court in New York last May.
“It seems unlikely that Congress meant to,” the justices wrote in the ruling. Giving the president unlimited power to impose customs duties.
But the judges did not rule to cancel the tariffs immediately. They gave his administration time to appeal to the Supreme Court.
Trump has pledged to do so.
“If this resolution is allowed to be upheld, it will literally destroy the United States of America,” he wrote on Truth Social.
White House spokesman Koch Desai said Trump acted legally, and “we look forward to final victory on this matter”.
