The US Supreme Court just told the executive branch to stay in its lane. In a 6-3 decision handed down on February 20, 2026, the court ruled that President Trump exceeded his authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) when he imposed sweeping global tariffs without congressional approval.
The ruling, stemming from the consolidated cases led by V.O.S. Selections, Inc. v. Trump, is a clean win for the Liberty Justice Center, the nonprofit legal organization that filed the initial lawsuits on April 14, 2025, on behalf of small businesses getting crushed by what the administration dubbed its “Liberation Day” tariffs.
What the court actually said
The core of the decision is straightforward: imposing tariffs is Congress’s job. The Constitution gives the legislative branch the power to regulate commerce with foreign nations and to lay duties on imports. The president doesn’t get to bypass that process by declaring an emergency under IEEPA.
Oral arguments took place on November 5, 2025, and the 6-3 split suggests this wasn’t even a particularly close call among the justices.
