Explainer

Trump’s Options After the Supreme Court Said His Tariffs Are Illegal

Shipping containers at the Bayport Container Terminal at the port of Houston.Photographer: Callaghan O'Hare/Bloomberg

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By Isabel Gottlieb

February 24, 2026 at 5:28 PM UTC

President Donald Trump has already leaned on alternative legislation to try to rebuild his tariff wall, after the US Supreme Court ruled that he can’t use a 1977 emergency law to impose import taxes.

The court said that Trump exceeded his authority by invoking the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to justify his sweeping “reciprocal” duties targeting America’s trading partners, as well as separate levies aimed at China, Canada and Mexico.