U.S. Supreme Court does not deliver ruling on Trump's tariffs on Tuesday

▲ This file photo, released by Reuters, shows a U.S. Supreme Court Police canine unit patrolling in front of the court building in Washington on Jan. 9, 2026. (Yonhap)

US court-tariff ruling

U.S. Supreme Court does not deliver ruling on Trump's tariffs on Tuesday

By Song Sang-ho

WASHINGTON, Jan. 20 (Yonhap) -- The U.S. Supreme Court did not issue a ruling on Tuesday on the legality of President Donald Trump's "reciprocal" tariffs on America's trading partners, including South Korea, despite expectations that the decision could come as early as this week.

As the high court had announced a plan to convene a public session, speculation arose that it could rule on the legality of Trump's use of the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose the country-specific tariffs. The court does not announce in advance which rulings it will deliver.

The court announced its opinions in three separate cases on its website on the day, but there was no decision on the IEEPA tariff case.

Entrepreneurs, policymakers and others have been closely watching the tariff ruling as it could have ramifications for global trade.

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

In August, a federal appeals court ruled that the IEEPA tariffs in question exceeded presidential authority, affirming a lower court's decision issued in May.

Trump has warned that losing his administration's ability to levy tariff on countries that treat the U.S. unfairly would be a "terrible blow" to the U.S.

He also said that if the high court strikes down the global tariffs, the U.S. may have to pay back "many hundreds of billions of dollars," and that the total amount could rise to "trillions of dollars" when countries and companies call for repayment of the investments they have made in the U.S. to avoid tariffs.

In April, Trump announced his plans for reciprocal tariffs, arguing that a lack of "reciprocity" in trade with trading partners and their tariff- and non-tariff barriers 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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