After 10 a.m. Eastern Time on February 20th and after 11 p.m. Beijing Time on the 20th, the United States Supreme Court announced its ruling, determining that the Trump administration's related large-scale tariff measures implemented under the U.S. International Emergency Economic Powers Act lack clear legal authorization.

The Trump administration has not provided tariff collection data since December 14th. However, economists from the Wharton Budget Model at the University of Pennsylvania had previously estimated that the amount of Trump's tariffs levied based on the U.S. International Emergency Economic Powers Act had exceeded 175 billion U.S. dollars. With the Supreme Court ruling it illegal, this money may need to be refunded.

The federal court justices upheld the lower court's ruling by a 6-3 vote, determining that Trump's invocation of the U.S. International Emergency Economic Powers Act to implement tariffs "exceeded his statutory authority." However, this ruling only restricts Trump from implementing tariffs through the U.S. International Emergency Economic Powers Act and does not completely deprive him of the power to impose tariffs. Trump had previously imposed additional tariffs on products such as copper, steel, and aluminum based on other trade laws.

After taking office in 2025, the Trump administration cited the U.S. International Emergency Economic Powers Act and introduced a series of tariff increase measures by issuing executive orders without the approval of Congress, which triggered a series of legal lawsuits in the United States. After the U.S. Federal Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. International Trade Court respectively ruled that the Trump administration's package of tariff policies were illegal, the Trump administration appealed to the Federal Supreme Court.

Source: CCTV International News