The U.S. Supreme Court spent three hours of oral arguments on Wednesday regarding the President’s use of emergency powers to impose tariffs. There was some skepticism, with Chief Justice John Roberts noting the emergency statute has never been used to justify tariffs. “The vehicle is the imposition of taxes on Americans and that has always been the core power of Congress,” said Roberts. “To have the President’s foreign affairs power trump that basic power for Congress seems to me to kind of neutralize between the two powers, the Executive power and the Legislative power.” The tariff case is on an expedited schedule and has broad implications for agriculture.
