▲ This photo, released by EPA, shows Ketanji Brown Jackson, a Supreme Court justice, attending The Black Music Collective during the 68th Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, California on Jan. 29, 2026. (Yonhap)

justice-tariff ruling

U.S. justice says tariff ruling takes time due to 'lots of nuanced legal issues'

By Song Sang-ho

WASHINGTON, Feb. 10 (Yonhap) -- A U.S. Supreme Court justice said Tuesday that deliberations on the legality of President Donald Trump's "reciprocal" tariffs take time because of "lots of nuanced legal issues," amid questions over when the court will hand down its ruling on the high-stakes case.

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, one of the high court's nine members, made the remarks during an appearance on a CBS program as the court weighs the legality of Trump's use of the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose "reciprocal" and other tariffs on trading partners.

"There are lots of nuanced legal issues that the court has to thoroughly consider," Jackson said.

"We had oral arguments, as we normally do in cases, and people may not be familiar with the court's process, we actually deliberate over a period of time where each of the justices decides how they feel about the issues and writes ... it takes a while to write," she added.

The court had been expected to issue its ruling on the tariff case last month, but has yet to make a decision.

The Trump administration has imposed 15 percent reciprocal tariffs on South Korean products, down from 25 percent, in accordance with a bilateral trade deal in which Seoul has committed to investing US$350 billion in the United States, among other pledges.

Trump threatened later to restore the tariffs to 25 percent, citing delays in the Asian country's legislative process needed to implement Seoul's investment pledge.

Even if the ruling is against IEEPA tariffs, the Trump administration is expected to leverage other legal authorities or means at its disposal to continue tariff collection.

In April, Trump announced plans for reciprocal tariffs, arguing that a lack of "reciprocity" in trade and the presence of tariff- and non-tariff barriers had led to "large" and "persistent" U.S. trade deficits, which he claimed constituted an "unusual" and "extraordinary" threat to U.S. national security and the economy.

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