US Trade Court rules Trump tariffs illegal, but blocks them only partially

The U.S. Court of International Trade has dealt another blow to U.S. President Donald Trump's customs strategy, ruling that his latest 10 percent temporary global tariffs are unjustified under 1970s trade law, but blocked the imposition of tariffs only for two private importers and the state of Washington, Reuters reports, according to UNN.

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The 2-1 majority decision by the U.S. Court of International Trade leaves the temporary tariffs in place for all other importers pending an appeal by the Trump administration. They are expected to expire in July.

The court ruled that Trump's imposition of tariffs under Section 122 of the U.S. Trade Act of 1974 was improper. One of the judges stated that it was premature to declare victory for the plaintiffs.

While the ruling affects a series of tariffs set to expire in about two months, it marks another major blow to Trump's global tariff ambitions and was issued a week before his scheduled discussion of trade tensions with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing.

This sets the stage for another protracted legal battle over billions of dollars in tariff refunds, three months after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Trump's sweeping global tariffs imposed under emergency law.

Trump blamed "two radical left judges" for the trade court's ruling.

"So, nothing surprises me with the courts. Nothing surprises me," he told reporters after inspecting a pool renovation project in Washington. "We get one decision, and we do it a different way."

The Trump administration remains intent on re-imposing broad tariffs on goods from major trading partners using a third law that has survived numerous legal challenges—Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, which governs unfair trade practices. Three Section 301 tariff investigations are currently underway and are due to conclude in July.

Trump Imposes Global 10% Tariffs in Response to Supreme Court Decision21.02.26, 02:13 • 18099 views