A federal appeals court on Tuesday agreed to let many of President Trump’s sweeping tariffs on United States trade partners remain in effect for now, extending a pause issued late last month after a separate court ruled the tariffs were illegal.
The Federal Circuit Court of Appeals granted the Trump administration’s request for a longer pause after issuing a temporary stay of the lower court ruling last month.
The court put the case on a fast track to be resolved by the end of this summer, noting that “these cases present issues of exceptional importance warranting expedited en banc consideration of the merits in the first instance.”
The decision comes after the U.S. Court of International Trade ruled on May 28 that Congress did not delegate “unbounded” tariff authority to the president in the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977 (IEEPA), the linchpin of Trump’s legal defense.
Trump appealed the ruling and, hours later, the appeals court granted the temporary stay and agreed to hear arguments in the case on June 9, when the court said it would decide on a longer pause.
“Both sides have made substantial arguments on the merits. Having considered the traditional stay factors… the court concludes a stay is warranted under the circumstances,” the order read on Tuesday.
Trump has sought to impose tariffs on almost all U.S. trading partners since taking office, creating whiplash in financial markets as he repeatedly delayed or adjusted the announcements.
