BREAKING: Federal Court Invalidates Trump's 'Liberation Day' Tariffs

In a major rebuke, a three-judge panel rules Trump overstepped his authority under IEEPA—invalidating sweeping tariffs he imposed without congressional approval.

By Ben Meiselas

Let’s break this down like only we do on the MeidasTouch Network—because this is a bombshell ruling with massive implications. In a 49-page decision handed down today, a panel of judges from the United States Court of International Trade ruled that Trump exceeded his legal authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) when he unilaterally imposed blanket tariffs on imports from China, Mexico, Canada, and dozens of other countries.

A federal court has just declared Donald Trump’s tariffs illegal. Let me say that again: Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs—what I call Liquidation Day—have been struck down. A permanent injunction is now in place blocking Trump from unilaterally imposing tariffs on nearly every country in the world under the false pretense of a “national emergency.”

Here’s the headline from the opinion:

“The IEEPA does not authorize any of the worldwide retaliatory tariffs. The worldwide tariffs exceed any authority granted to Trump by the IEEPA to regulate importation by means of tariffs.”

Boom.

Trump invoked the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977 (IEEPA) to claim near-dictatorial powers. He tried to slap tariffs on Mexico, Canada, China, and 57 other countries—all by fiat. But the United States Court of International Trade—a three-judge panel, unanimous in their ruling—said, “Absolutely not.”

The court was clear: Trump does not get to rule by emergency decree. This isn’t some gray area legal technicality. This is the Constitution working exactly as it’s supposed to.

It is important to remember that the federal ruling striking down Trump’s tariffs included one Ronald Reagan-appointed judge, one Trump-appointed judge, and one Biden-appointed judge—and they all agreed Trump broke the law.

Let’s be specific. Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution gives Congress—not the President—the exclusive power to lay and collect tariffs and regulate foreign commerce. Trump tried to sidestep that. He tried to take Congress’s job and make it his own.

The court said:

“We do not read IEEPA to delegate an unbounded tariff authority to the President.”

That’s legalese for: Trump made up powers he didn’t have—and he got caught.

This case was brought by a coalition of harmed American businesses—like V.O.S. Selections and MicroKits—and joined by Democratic attorneys general from a dozen states including Oregon, New York, and Arizona. These were real people and real economies hurt by Trump’s power grab. And they fought back. And they won.

Now, will Trump appeal? He already has. That’s what he does when he loses—and that’s his legal right. But this ruling matters. It sets a legal precedent that Trump cannot bypass Congress to unilaterally control global trade by pretending every country on Earth is part of a national emergency.

This isn’t just a blow to Trump’s economic agenda. It’s a devastating legal defeat for his broader plan to expand presidential powers beyond constitutional limits. And it proves what we’ve been saying all along here at MeidasTouch: just because Trump claims a power doesn’t mean he has it.

Read the full ruling here. We’re not done covering this. We’re just getting started. So join us on the MeidasTouch Podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify for more reporting—and watch my full report on YouTube below.