Today, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) issued its opinion in Learning Resources, Inc., et al. v. Trump. The Court ruled that IEEPA does not authorize the president to impose tariffs. 

The Court rejected the Trump Administration’s assertion that the statutory text of IEEPA delegates Congressional tariff powers to the President, finding that Congress would not have delegated “highly consequential power” through ambiguous language.

The majority wrote, “Based on two words separated by 16 others in … IEEPA, ‘regulate’ and ‘importation’–the President asserts the independent power to impose tariffs on imports from any country, of any product, at any rate, for any amount of time. Those words cannot bear such weight.”

The decision was 6-3, with Justice Thomas, Alito, and Kavanaugh dissenting.

What This Means for Importers

The Trump Administration has made clear that, regardless of the Supreme Court’s decision, tariffs will remain a cornerstone of their trade and “America First” policy. 

On January 9, 2026, National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett said of the Supreme Court case: “Our expectation is that we’re going to win, and if we don’t win, then we know that we’ve got other tools that we can use that get us to the same place.” He also said in a Fox Business Interview that the Administration has a backup plan ready to go that would allow tariffs to be put “back into place almost immediately, should the Supreme Court rule against us.”

IEEPA is just one of the legislative avenues the Administration has to impose tariffs. Below is a summary of tariff tools available to the Administration.

The Administration will almost certainly pivot to another legal authority to maintain the current tariffs. 

Because the Supreme Court has upheld the Federal Circuit’s decision, the case is remanded to the Court of International Trade to determine whether it can issue a nationwide injunction, which we hope the Court of International Trade will resolve quickly.  

Importers who have filed suit at the Court of International Trade should be eligible to get their own injunction. Further, an individual injunction may not be required, given the Supreme Court decision. The key at this moment is how the Court of International Trade will implement the Supreme Court’s decision.  

We are confident that importers who have filed suit in the Court of International Trade should be eligible to receive refunds for the IEEPA Tariffs they paid. However, the Court of International Trade will need to provide specific instructions for issuing refunds. We are actively monitoring and will advise as soon as we have more information from the Court of International Trade.  

What Importers Should Do

Importers should view the current tariff environment as a long-term reality and proactively invest in strategies that legally minimize their duty exposure. There are several ways to LEGALLY minimize tariffs, including:

  • Duty drawback
  • Tariff engineering
  • Country of origin change
  • First sale
  • Duty deferral
  • Negotiate DDP Incoterms

Importers should also invest in compliance. The U.S. government has signaled that enforcement of trade law is a top priority and has levied hefty fines and even initiated criminal cases against importers evading duties.

Importers should:

  • Conduct internal audits
  • Refresh classification procedures
  • Ensure the accuracy of valuation practices
  • Revisit supplier agreements
  • Tighten broker oversight
  • Leverage technology
  • Develop training for staff
  • Strengthen recordkeeping practices
  • Prepare for audits

Our office will continue to closely monitor and will keep you informed. Please review the following resources to stay informed on tariff updates and jumpstart your 2026 compliance program.

Diaz Trade Law can assist in auditing and/or developing importer compliance programs, setting up importer ACE accounts, and executing strategies to minimize duties. If you have questions about the IEEPA case or questions regarding any other import or export-related matter, please do not hesitate to contact our office at info@diaztradelaw.com.

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