Trump's Section 301 Tariffs Face Legal Challenge at Federal Trade Court
A panel of judges at the U.S. Court of International Trade is hearing arguments against President Donald Trump’s latest global tariffs, imposed under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974. These duties apply to goods from 86 countries and cover nearly all U.S. imports with rates ranging between 10% and 12.5%. The legal challenge claims these tariffs are a disguised attempt by the administration to reimpose previously struck-down global tariffs, which were invalidated in February after being ruled unconstitutional. The Supreme Court had earlier nullified Trump’s “reciprocal” tariffs from April 2025, leading to over $100 billion in refunds. After those expired, a short-lived set of duties under Section 122 was also challenged and stayed by an appeals court before expiring in July. The current legal battle is the third such challenge within two years. The administration argues that these tariffs are justified as a response to countries failing to enforce bans on goods produced using forced labor, while plaintiffs claim this rationale is merely pretextual.
Topics: Donald Trump federal court Section 301 tariffs