- In the most significant economic case to reach the Supreme Court in years, Trump’s authority to issue emergency tariffs faced deep skepticism from key conservatives — including Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Amy Coney Barrett, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh.
- While justices had tough questions for both sides, a majority expressed reservations about the administration relying on declared emergencies to issue the unchecked tariffs.
- Chief Justice John Roberts referred to the “imposition of taxes on Americans” as a “core power of Congress.”
- As plaintiffs presented their case, Kavanaugh repeatedly noted that courts had previously allowed then-President Richard Nixon to use similar emergency powers to impose tariffs during his administration.
- Both sides previously framed the appeal in existential terms, with Trump warning that a ruling against him could have “catastrophic” consequences for the nation’s economic health. The companies challenging the policy say the on-again-off-again tariff announcements have driven costs — and uncertainty — to intolerable levels.
36 Posts
From CNN’s John Fritze, Elisabeth Buchwald, Devan Cole and Holmes Lybrand, CNN
Updated 1:53 PM EST, Wed November 5, 2025
