Filenews 30 May 2025
A U.S. federal appeals court on Thursday granted the Trump administration's request for a temporary stay of a lower court decision that had cancelled most of the tariffs imposed by the President.
The ruling allows the Trump administration to keep the tariffs in place while the appeals court considers the arguments of the parties involved. The International Trade Court had previously ruled that most of the tariffs violated existing legislation, leading to their cancellation.
The appeals court said the lower court's decision "remains on hold until further notice," noting that the examination of the relevant documents is ongoing. Otherwise, the government had warned that it would appeal immediately to the Supreme Court.
The Trump administration has called the initial repeal of the tariffs a "legally unwarranted action" that threatens to destabilize key aspects of U.S. foreign and economic policy and derail months of diplomatic consultations.
At the same time, a second judge – this time from the Washington District Court – also called the tariffs "illegal" and ordered a temporary suspension of their collection. This decision was made following an appeal by two toy importers from Illinois.
The tariffs have been a point of friction within the U.S., as they were imposed without congressional approval. Donald Trump invoked a "state of emergency" due to trade deficits in order to circumvent the need for parliamentary approval.
At a briefing on reporters on Thursday, White House spokeswoman Caroline Levitt accused the judiciary of interference, saying they "brazenly abused their judicial power" to prevent the president from implementing the voters' mandate. He also stressed that the White House is considering other legal and policy avenues to advance its trade policy.
"We can walk and chew chewing gum," Levit said, noting that the president has alternative tools for exercising trade policy.
