9 hours ago
Trump's Tariffs Go To Supreme Court For The First Time
Small businesses asked the Supreme Court on Tuesday to take up the issue of whether President Donald Trump's 'Liberation Day' tariffs are lawful, their attorney confirmed to Forbes, marking the first time the president's sweeping tariffs have made it to the high court, and teeing up a potential final ruling on whether the tariffs are lawful by the end of the year.
Businesses Learning Resources Inc. and hand2mind Inc. filed a petition with the Supreme Court on Tuesday, attorney Pratik Shah confirmed to Forbes, which asks the high court to consider whether Trump's 'Liberation Day' tariffs are lawful under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), the law the president used to impose them.
A federal district judge previously ruled in the businesses' favor and found Trump's tariffs violate IEEPA, but his ruling is now on hold as an appeals court considers the case.
The plaintiffs want the Supreme Court to weigh in on the issue before the appeals court does, arguing the case 'presents a question of paramount importance and urgency' and should skip the traditional appeals process in order to be argued 'as soon as possible.'
Justices need to weigh in on the tariffs in order to relieve the 'crippling uncertainty' they've caused nationwide, the plaintiffs argued to the Supreme Court, asking justices to schedule the case for oral arguments as soon as its next term begins in October, or even sooner.
The case is one of two lawsuits on tariffs that have so far resulted in court rulings against Trump's 'Liberation Day' orders: The second, which blocked Trump's tariffs nationwide, is also now on pause while an appeals court considers the case.
The case has been filed with the court but has not yet been formally docketed and made public on the court's website, and the Supreme Court has not yet given any indication about whether it will take up the case or when a decision on taking up the case could come.
Learning Resource's case has been filed with the court but has not yet been formally docketed and made public on the court's website, and the Supreme Court has not yet given any indication about whether it will take up the case or when a decision on taking up the case could come. In their petition to the court, the businesses asked justices to consider whether they'll take up the case before their current term ends at the end of June, with both sides then submitting briefs in the case over the summer before the case is argued in early fall. The Supreme Court could reject that timeline and take longer to deliberate on taking up the case, however, or take it up but wait until winter or spring 2026 to hear oral arguments. If the court were to hear oral arguments on the case in the fall, as the businesses want, a final ruling would likely come out a few months later, though justices could issue a decision any time before their next term ends in June 2026.
This story is breaking and will be updated.
