Why a Republican Supreme Court struck down Trump’s tariffs
Vox
February 20, 2026
AI-Generated Deep Dive Summary
The Supreme Court ruled against President Donald Trump’s tariffs in *Learning Resources v. Trump*, with six justices concluding that the tariffs were illegal. The decision split along ideological lines, with Chief Justice John Roberts writing the majority opinion and Justices Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett joining him on key parts of the ruling. However, the Court’s three Democratic justices rejected portions of Roberts’ opinion that invoked a controversial legal doctrine known as the “major questions doctrine,” which they argued was unnecessary and overreaching.
The Court found two main reasons for striking down the tariffs. First, Trump had claimed authority to impose tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), but the justices determined that the word “regulate” in the statute does not grant the power to tax imports. Roberts explained that “regulate” means to control or fix, but it does not imply taxation. This interpretation aligns with how Congress has used the term in other contexts, which explicitly prohibit taxing powers.
Second, the majority opinion argued that even if Trump relied on other statutes to impose tariffs, those laws still limited his authority. For example, one law allows import taxes of up to 15% for no more than 150 days. This reasoning suggests that Trump’s broader tariff policies exceeded legal boundaries.
The ruling also highlights the ongoing debate over
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Originally published on Vox on 2/20/2026