Story perspectives

Supreme Court Strikes Down Trump Tariffs, Orders $100B Refunds

8/14/2026

Summary

Story summary

Supreme Court struck down the March 2025 tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump under the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act and ordered refunds of the duties.
About $100 billion in tariffs have been refunded to companies through Customs and Border Protection since the court order.
FedEx began issuing $800 million in refunds to customers who paid the duties.
UPS applied for $500 million in reimbursement after paying $5 billion in tariffs for clients.

History

Historical Context

The World Trade Organization, which began operations on 1 January 1995 after 123 nations signed the Marrakesh Agreement, built on the GATT system and the Uruguay Round (1986-1994) that expanded trade rules to services and intellectual property. Its binding dispute-settlement mechanism, created then, has since been invoked to curb unilateral tariff spikes, illustrating the WTO’s role in restraining protectionism.

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Story summary

Supreme Court struck down the March 2025 tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump under the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act and ordered refunds of the duties.
About $100 billion in tariffs have been refunded to companies through Customs and Border Protection since the court order.
FedEx began issuing $800 million in refunds to customers who paid the duties.
UPS applied for $500 million in reimbursement after paying $5 billion in tariffs for clients.

1 / 2