US Tells Tariff Refund Judge It Can’t Comply With Order

Cranes move containers at the Port of Newark in Newark in Newark, New Jersey.
Photographer: Kena Betancur/Bloomberg

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By Erik Larson

March 6, 2026 at 5:14 PM UTC

Updated on

March 6, 2026 at 8:33 PM UTC

A US Customs and Border Protection official told a federal judge on Friday that the agency can’t comply with a court order to stop processing import duties that include President Donald Trump’s emergency levies that were struck down by US Supreme Court.

CBP is instead “making all possible efforts” to create an automated refund system that “will be simpler and more efficient” than the current process and may be ready for use in as soon as 45 days, according to an affidavit filed with the judge by Brandon Lord, a CBP executive director.