US Supreme Court sceptical of Trump's worldwide tariffs
發佈日期: 2025-11-06 22:58
TVB News
The U.S. Supreme Court justices sharply questioned President Donald Trump's use of an emergency law to impose a series of globe-rattling tariffs, and appeared sceptical of the legality of the levies.
Earlier, the Trump administration lost the lawsuit filed by five small businesses and 12 states, with the lower courts saying the president had exceeded his authority.
In one of the biggest cases of the term, the United States' top court on Wednesday heard arguments on Trump's billion-dollar "reciprocal tariffs" on imports from scores of countries.
Top officials including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer were present at the hearing.
Trump himself opted against attending, declaring the case a matter of "life or death."
Over the course of the hearing that lasted for over two hours, it is reported that the majority of justices - conservatives and liberals - were openly doubtful about Trump's claim that he has the power to unilaterally levy tariffs under the 1977 International Economics Powers Act.
AP reporter Fatima Hussein said: "The room was packed today...The judge's questions tended to air on the side of scepticism about whether the President has the authority to impose a really wide ranging and sweeping tariffs around the world. One example was given about how the U.S. doesn't necessarily have a trade deficit with Switzerland, but tariffs have been imposed on them regardless of that."
Trump's attorney, Solicitor General John Sauer, noted the imposition of broad-based tariffs was to address two emergencies: a persistent trade imbalance and the flow of fentanyl into the country.
Conservative justice Neil Gorsuch refuted the claim, saying Trump had cited purported international emergencies without authorisation from Congress.
Chief Justice John Roberts said taxes have always been the core power of Congress.
And other justices also pointed to Trump's overreach of the executive power to defend his tariff policy by citing the nearly 50-year-old Act.
Several demonstrators rallied outside the Supreme Court as the pivotal hearing was taking place.
Meanwhile in Shanghai's import expo, several American agriculture businessmen expressed their relief after a trade thaw between Beijing and Washington.
Jim Sutter, CEO of the U.S. Soybean Export Council, said: "So we just don't like to see our soy trade get caught up in sort of high level geo-politics."
AmCham Shanghai President Erick Zheng stated: "And we don't like tariffs, tariffs are not good for anybody, and certainly there will be no winners in a trade war."
Traders said China booked two cargoes of American wheat after last week's Trump-Xi meeting, the first purchases since October 2024.
