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President Donald Trump has asked the US Supreme Court to overturn a lower court decision that found many of his sweeping tariffs were illegal.<\/p>\n
In a petition filed late on Wednesday, the administration asked the justices to quickly intervene to rule that the president has the power to impose such import taxes on foreign nations.<\/p>\n
A divided US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit last week ruled 7-4 that the tariffs Trump brought in through an emergency economic powers act did not fall within the president’s mandate and that setting levies was “a core Congressional power”.<\/p>\n
The case could upend Trump’s economic and foreign policy agenda and force the US to refund billions in tariffs. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Trump had justified the tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), which gives the president the power to act against “unusual and extraordinary” threats.<\/p>\n
In April, Trump declared an economic emergency, arguing that a trade imbalance had undermined domestic manufacturing and was harmful to national security. <\/p>\n
While the appellate court ruled against the president, it postponed its decision from taking effect, allowing the Trump administration time to file an appeal. <\/p>\n
In Wednesday’s night’s filing, Solicitor General John Sauer wrote that the lower court’s “erroneous decision has disrupted highly impactful, sensitive, ongoing diplomatic trade negotiations, and cast a pall of legal uncertainty over the President’s efforts to protect our country by preventing an unprecedented economic and foreign policy crisis”. <\/p>\n
If the Supreme Court justices deny the review, the ruling could take effect on 14 October. <\/p>\n