USA24 February, 20262 min read
President Trump Imposes 10% Tariff on Almost All Imports After Supreme Court Strikes Down IEEPA
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Supreme Court struck down most IEEPA-based tariffs. Trump imposed a 10% tariff on most imported goods using a different law.
5 outlets told this the same way.
Tariffs after Supreme Court ruling
President Trump imposed a new 10% tariff on nearly all imports immediately after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down his earlier IEEPA-based tariffs in a 6–3 decision.
“In a 6–3 decision the Court struck down broad import tariffs the administration had imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA, 1977), holding that IEEPA does not clearly authorize sweeping customs duties. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the majority opinion, invoking the ‘major questions’ doctrine; Justice Brett Kavanaugh dissented.”
The Court held that IEEPA "does not clearly authorize sweeping customs duties," with Chief Justice John Roberts writing the majority opinion and Justice Brett Kavanaugh dissenting.
The White House moved quickly to replace the struck IEEPA tariffs with a revised global tariff framework, first proposing 10% and later raising it to 15% under a different statutory basis.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection said the new temporary 10% tariff on imported goods not covered by exemptions took effect at midnight Tuesday.
Supreme Court IEEPA ruling
The Supreme Court concluded that IEEPA could not reasonably be read to give the President unlimited tariff powers. The Court also noted that no prior president had used IEEPA in this way.
The ruling left open other legal questions, for example whether importers who already paid the tariffs must be refunded. The decision halted collection of the prior duties, which had ranged from 10% to 50%, until the government replaced the measures.
White House tariff response
The White House response combined an executive-order change and a shift to alternative trade authority.
“The White House quickly replaced the struck IEEPA tariffs with a revised global tariff framework, initially proposing 10% then raising it to 15% under a different legal authority (Section 122 of U.S. trade law). An executive order on Feb. 20 terminated the IEEPA-based reciprocal surcharges but left most other trade restrictions intact.”
India Briefing reports that an executive order on Feb. 20 terminated the IEEPA-based reciprocal surcharges while leaving other trade restrictions intact.
India Briefing also says the administration moved to a revised global tariff framework citing Section 122 of U.S. trade law.
Al Jazeera describes the 10% duty as temporary and set to last 150 days unless Congress extends it.
Al Jazeera records that Trump initially said he would raise the duty to 15%, which commentators and officials said created confusion about the administration’s plan.
Tariff reactions and details
India Briefing says India postponed a negotiating delegation visit and the formal signing of an interim trade agreement while Washington’s legal position and tariff regime are clarified. India Briefing notes exemptions for pharmaceuticals, select electronics, fertilizers and critical minerals as well as USMCA-compliant Canada/Mexico trade. Al Jazeera frames the move as justified by the White House on the basis of large U.S. deficits and cites a $1.2 trillion annual goods trade deficit and a current account deficit of about 4% of GDP.
Al Jazeera says Trump warned trading partners about higher duties if they back out of deals. nationaljeweler’s coverage is limited to the tariff imposition.
U.S. tariff ruling outlook
Looking ahead, the sources agree the decision removed one legal basis for emergency tariffs but did not dismantle the broader restrictive U.S. tariff environment. India Briefing says the ruling removed IEEPA as a basis but left exemptions and other restrictions in place and warns businesses face continued policy volatility as the administration shifts mechanisms. Al Jazeera treats the 10% duty as a stopgap that could be extended by Congress or supplemented by other trade laws.
“The ruling removed one legal basis for emergency tariffs but did not dismantle the broader restrictive U.S. tariff environment. Exemptions exist for certain goods (pharmaceuticals, select electronics, fertilizers, critical minerals) and USMCA-compliant Canada/Mexico trade, but definitions and operational details remain unclear. U.S. lawmakers may resist extending tariffs beyond statutory windows, and businesses — especially exporters and investors — face continued policy volatility as the administration shifts to alternative statutory mechanisms to preserve tariff leverage.”
Nationaljeweler records the quick policy pivot. Lawmakers and businesses may shape the next phase as statutory windows, exemptions and alternative authorities are tested.