In cases brought by the Liberty Justice Center on behalf of several businesses, and by the State of Oregon, the U.S. Court of International Trade has ruled that the tariffs imposed by the administration under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act were unlawful, and blocked enforcement of the tariffs on China, the EU, and most other countries with a permanent injunction.

The grounds for the suit, and the ruling, were the same as those employed by the suit in which Stonemaier Games is a plaintiff (see “Stonemaier Tariffs Lawsuit”).

Tariffs on autos, steel, and aluminum, which were raised under authority granted under a different law, were unaffected. 

The administration immediately appealed the ruling, and asked for the judgment to be stayed.  The court has ordered briefs from the plaintiffs on the issue.

If ultimately upheld, the ruling would prevent the kind of erratic tariff policy that’s been in place for this year (see “Erratic Tariff Policy Moves in a Better Direction”).  For now, uncertainty prevails, as the tariffs could be reimposed based on higher court rulings.  The cases will likely ultimately be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court.