The US Supreme Court has set Friday as an opinion day, opening the door to a possible ruling on the legality of the country's President, Donald Trump’s sweeping global tariffs, in what would be one of the most closely watched cases of his term, and a direct test of presidential power over trade.
It should be noted that America's top court does not disclose in advance which decisions are ready for release. All it says is that opinions in argued cases may be handed down when the justices take the bench at 10 a.m. Washington time.
However, the calendar choice has sharpened expectations that the tariffs case--fast-tracked through the court--could be among the rulings issued, Bloomberg Law reported.
At stake are Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs announced on April 2, which imposed levies ranging from 10% to as high as 50% on a wide swath of imports.
Separate duties targeting Canada, Mexico and China were justified by the administration as a response to fentanyl trafficking and broader national emergency concerns.
India, too, faces 50% tariffs as intense negotiations for a proposed bilateral trade agreement remain underway between Washington and New Delhi.
A decision striking down the tariffs would deal a serious blow to Trump’s economic agenda and become his most consequential courtroom loss since returning to the White House. The case cuts to a fundamental question: how far a president can go in reshaping global trade without explicit congressional approval.
During oral arguments on November 5, several justices appeared unconvinced that a 1977 statute—designed to grant presidents special authority during national emergencies—provides a firm legal foundation for the tariffs. The law has historically been used sparingly, and challengers argue Trump stretched its intent to cover routine trade policy rather than sudden crises.
Trump has framed the case in existential terms for executive authority. Speaking to House Republicans earlier this week, he cast the dispute as a referendum on the president’s ability to negotiate aggressively on the world stage, according to several news reports.
“We have a big Supreme Court case,” Trump said. “I hope they do what’s good for our country. I hope they do the right thing. The president has to be able to wheel and deal with tariffs.”
The court’s notice comes as the justices return from a four-week holiday recess, setting the stage for a dense stretch of decisions as the term enters its final phase. While the tariffs case is drawing the most attention from markets and foreign capitals, it is not the only politically charged matter on the docket.
The justices could also issue a ruling in a high-stakes redistricting dispute that has implications for control of Congress in this year’s midterm elections, according to Bloomberg's report.
That case asks whether federal courts should sharply limit the use of the Voting Rights Act to create predominantly Black or Hispanic electoral districts—an outcome that could favor Republicans in closely contested states.
Trump has claimed that the United States has already collected—or will soon collect—more than $600 billion in tariff revenues, arguing that the levies have strengthened the country both financially and from a national security perspective.
“We have taken in, and will soon be receiving, more than 600 Billion Dollars in Tariffs,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social, accusing the “Fake News Media” of ignoring the figure ahead of what he described as a critical Supreme Court decision on tariffs.
Trump said the tariff regime had left the US “far stronger” and more respected globally. Since returning to office, he has imposed a fresh round of import duties on multiple countries, saying the US had long been subjected to unfair trade practices and higher tariffs on its exports.
As the American Supreme Court reviews challenges to his tariff authority, Trump has previously warned that any ruling curbing presidential powers would undermine US national security.
“The biggest threat in history to United States National Security would be a negative decision on Tariffs by the US Supreme Court,” Trump wrote on Truth Social in December, adding that such an outcome would leave the country “financially defenseless.”
The legal challenge, which reached the courts after arguments began on November 5, has drawn in businesses and Democratic-led states contending that the power to impose tariffs rests with Congress, not the presidency.
Defending his approach, Trump had said, “because of Tariffs, easily and quickly applied, our National Security has been greatly enhanced, and we have become the financially strongest Country, by far, anywhere in the World. Only dark and sinister forces would want to see that end!!!”
Source Name : Economic Times