That Was Quick: Federal Appeals Court Temporarily Reinstates Trump Tariffs

A federal appeals court temporarily paused a lower court ruling on Thursday blocking President Donald Trump’s tariffs.

The United States Court of International Trade (CIT) blocked Trump’s sweeping reciprocal tariffs, as well as earlier tariffs placed on China, Mexico and Canada, in a decision Wednesday that rejected his use of emergency authority.

“The request for an immediate administrative stay is granted to the extent that the judgments and the permanent injunctions entered by the Court of International Trade in these cases are temporarily stayed until further notice while this court considers the motions papers,” the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit’s order states.

The CIT found Wednesday that Trump did not have authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977 (IEEPA) to impose the tariffs.

“The Worldwide and Retaliatory Tariff Orders exceed any authority granted to the President by IEEPA to regulate importation by means of tariffs,” the three-judge panel held. “The Trafficking Tariffs fail because they do not deal with the threats set forth in those orders.”

The court directed plaintiffs to file a response to the Trump administration’s request to block the lower court’s ruling by June 5 and ordered the government to file a reply by June 9.