The U.S. Supreme Court had tough questions for the Trump administration about the legality of tariffs imposed on almost every U.S. trading partner by President Trump.
The Guardian reports that the justices heard oral arguments on Wednesday morning, with even conservative justices sounding doubtful about the strength of the administration’s position.
The tariffs are at the heart of President Trump’s policy platform, and justices were doubtful about the law that the White House used to impose steep duties on imports from around the world.
In a series of executive orders signed earlier this year, Trump cited the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, a 1977 law which, in some circumstances, grants the president authority to regulate or prohibit international transactions during a national emergency, as he slapped steel duties on imports into the U.S.
Lower courts have ruled against President Trump’s tariffs, prompting appeals from the White House to the nation’s highest court.
