Trump's economic agenda dealt major blow by federal court

A federal court has struck down Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs, ruling that the president overstepped his legal authority in imposing them on a broad range of countries, according to media reports.

The U.S. Court of International Trade issued the unanimous decision Wednesday, rejecting Trump’s April 2 tariff order – which he claimed was justified by national emergencies, Politico reported. The court’s ruling, however, found that justification inadequate under the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).

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“The Worldwide and Retaliatory Tariff Orders exceed any authority granted to the President by IEEPA to regulate importation by means of tariffs,” the Manhattan federal court ruled Wednesday, as reported by Politico.

The three-judge panel also ordered that tariffs collected under Trump’s order be “vacated.” The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.