Appeals court judges voice skepticism about legal basis for Trump's sweeping tariffs [View all]

Source: ABC News

Appeals court judges voice skepticism about legal basis for Trump's sweeping tariffs
A coalition of states is asking a court to invalidate most of Trump's tariffs.

By Peter Charalambous,Katherine Faulders and Nicholas Kerr
July 31, 2025, 1:23 PM ET * 7 min

A panel of appeals court judges on Thursday voiced deep skepticism with the Trump administration's attempt to justify sweeping tariffs based on a national emergency.

As the clock ticks down to President Donald Trump's Aug. 1 deadline for the resumption of reciprocal tariffs, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit is hearing arguments Thursday over whether Trump's sweeping tariffs are lawful.

A group of small businesses and a coalition of states are asking the appeals court to invalidate the bulk of Trump's tariffs, arguing that Trump overstepped his power when he invoked the rarely used International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to enact a flurry of tariffs in April.

At the start of Thursday's hearing, judges on the appeals court panel questioned why Trump is relying on a law that has never been used to justify tariffs, saying that the law itself never mentions the word "tariffs" and voicing concern that the president justifying the unilateral action based on an emergency could amount to "the death knell of the Constitution."

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Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/amp/US/ahead-friday-deadline-appeals-court-lawfulness-trumps-sweeping/story?id=124244809