ANALYSIS| US appeals court strikes down Trump’s tariff policies as unlawful

By Johnathan Paoli

The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit delivered a landmark ruling on Friday, striking down most of President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariff policies as unlawful.

In a 7–4 decision, the court found that Trump had exceeded his authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), a 1977 law intended to regulate financial and sanctions measures during national emergencies.

While declaring that tariffs imposed under IEEPA were “unbounded in scope, amount, and duration,” the court left them in place until 14 October to give the administration time to appeal to the US Supreme Court.

This temporary reprieve prolongs uncertainty for America’s trading partners, including South Africa, one of the countries hardest hit by the measures.

The judges stressed that although Congress has delegated tariff powers to presidents through statutes such as the Trade Act of 1974 and the Trade Expansion Act of 1962,