Trump’s Tariffs Face Supreme Court Test

Tariffs have been central to White House trade policy. A pending Supreme Court decision could upend many of them.

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Updated Jan 7, 2026 · 3 min read

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Updated on Jan. 9.

Much of President Donald Trump’s economic agenda in his second term has focused on levying tariffs on imports from virtually every country on Earth.

Some tariffs have been eliminated or modified along the way, others have been threatened but never implemented. The flurry of activity throughout 2025 has left a complex web of trade barriers — many of which may be undone in a looming Supreme Court decision.

News developments:

Supreme Court tariff decision could come soon

The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule as early as this month on the legality of many of the president’s tariffs. A ruling was widely anticipated on Friday, but didn't arrive.

When the court heard arguments on the matter in November, justices questioned the legitimacy of the justification Trump used to impose widespread tariffs without approval from Congress.

Early in his current term, Trump invoked the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act as proof of his authority to enact a bevy of tariffs on trade partners worldwide.

The high court heard oral arguments for two combined cases — one by Democratic-run states and the other by private companies — challenging the legality of Trump's use of emergency powers to regulate imports. Lower courts have ruled against Trump, saying presidents do not have that power — only Congress does.

Most of the justices — including conservative justices Amy Coney Barrett, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Chief Justice John Roberts — expressed concerns over the constitutionality of the executive branch wielding power to unilaterally impose tariffs. However, conservative justice Samuel Alito suggested there was leeway for interpretation.

The court’s ruling would have broad implications for current and future executive authority over trade. If the justices deem the tariffs unconstitutional, it could undo Trump’s trade deals and could leave the government liable for billions in refunds to importers.

Increased tariffs on furniture, cabinets postponed

In September 2025, Trump announced increased tariffs on upholstered furniture (30%) as well as kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities (50%). Tariffs on these items were already 25%. The higher tariffs were initially announced as going into effect in October, but have remained at 25% since the announcement.

On Dec. 31, the White House announced that the higher tariffs would be delayed until Jan. 1, 2027. For now, they remain at 25%.

President Donald Trump announced a broad array of global tariffs on April 2, 2025, a day he dubbed “Iiberation day.” These included an initial 10% baseline tariff on virtually all countries (later increased to 15%), as well as higher “reciprocal” tariffs on a subset of those countries.

The levies were due to go into effect within a week of the initial announcement, but after global markets sank in the immediate aftermath, Trump postponed implementation to July 9, later extending that to Aug. 1.

In the months since the initial announcement, some trade deals have been struck, lowering or eliminating some tariffs, and additional tariffs have been put in place, some on individual countries and some on product categories.

The full spreadsheet of the U.S. “harmonized tariff schedule” runs to more than 35,000 rows — which includes tariffs in place before Trump took office for his second term. Here is a partial list of current tariffs. In many cases, exemptions apply for certain products; not all of them are noted here.

U.S. tariffs by country

The base reciprocal tariff on nearly all nations is 15%.

Countries with significantly higher tariff rates include:

Algeria: 30%.
Bosnia and Herzegovina: 30%.
Brazil: 50% (with exemptions for some agricultural products).
Canada: 35% for most items not covered by the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA); 10% for energy and potash.
China: Aggregate tariffs exceed 45% for most products.
India: 50%, including a 25% reciprocal tariff and a 25% punitive tariff for purchasing Russian oil.
Iraq: 35%.
Laos: 40%.
Libya: 30%.
Mexico: 25% for most items not covered by the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA); 10% for potash.
Myanmar: 40%.
Serbia: 35%.
South Africa: 30%.
Syria: 41%.

U.S. tariffs by product

Aluminum and derivative products: 50% (25% on UK-origin products, 200% on Russia-origin products).
Automobiles: 25% (with modified rates for European Union member states, Japan and South Korea).
Automobile parts: 25% (10% for the U.K., and modified rates for European Union member states, Japan and South Korea).
Copper: 50%.
Kitchen cabinets and vanities:
Softwood timber and lumber: 10%.
Steel and derivative products: 25% for the U.K.; 50% for all other countries.
Trucks and truck parts: 25% (10% for buses).
Upholstered wooden furniture: 25% (10% for the U.K., and modified rates for European Union member states, Japan and South Korea).

Other tariff-related moves

Also in 2025, the White House implemented a 40% tariff on the practice of transshipping — when countries attempt to evade U.S. tariffs by routing their goods through other countries before sending them to the U.S.

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In addition, the administration ended a nearly century-old policy that exempts small packages from tariffs. Congress enacted the de minimis exemption in 1938 to ease foreign trade inefficiencies. It was later expanded in the 1990s to ease cost burdens for businesses and consumers. In May, Trump ended the exemption for Chinese businesses, and the loophole was closed worldwide in August.

(Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images for Getty News Images)

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