The future of President Donald Trump’s so-called “Liberation Day” tariffs now rests with the US Supreme Court.

Last week, the US Court of Appeals upheld a May ruling from the Court of International Trade that found Trump had exceeded his authority by invoking emergency economic powers to increase import duties across the board.

In response, Trump’s legal team has formally petitioned the Supreme Court to overturn the decision, which – if left standing – would require most of the tariff measures introduced to be reversed by October 14th.

His lawyers argue that presidents must retain the flexibility to act decisively on tariffs in the interest of national and economic security.

The appeals court was split, voting 7-4 to uphold the original ruling, which increases the likelihood that the Supreme Court will agree to review the case. Trump could hold an advantage at the higher court, where six of the nine justices are Republican, including three he nominated himself.

If the ruling stands, billions in collected tariffs may need to be refunded, while subsequent trade agreements could be invalidated.

The tariffs, signed in April, applied a 10% baseline duty plus additional levies to more than 90 countries. Some specific tariffs, such as the increases applied to steel and aluminium, remain unaffected by the legal battle.

Global stakeholders, including MultiFreight, will be closely monitoring developments, as the Supreme Court’s verdict could have a significant impact on global trade.