Editor’s note: This story has been updated.
Rarely does so totemic a presidential policy receive so resounding a smackdown. On February 20th the Supreme Court ruled, in Learning Resources v Trump, that the bulk of President Donald Trump’s tariffs were illegal. Mr Trump had asserted that a 1970s-era law, the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), allowed him to bypass Congress and set tariffs according to his whims. Six of the court’s nine justices disagreed, including John Roberts, the chief justice, who wrote the majority decision. In a press conference held shortly after the announcement, Mr Trump said the ruling was “deeply disappointing” and that he was “ashamed of certain members of the court”, before pledging new trade barriers.
