"Lawlessness from courts": US Vice President Vance on SC decision to strike down tariffs

Washington DC [US], February 21 (ANI): US Vice President JD Vance criticised the Supreme Court's 6-3 ruling that the Trump administration exceeded its legal authority by using the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) of 1977 to impose broad-based import tariffs.
In a post on X, Vance said the SC decision is "lawlessness from courts" and will make it harder for President Trump to protect American industries.
"Today, the Supreme Court decided that Congress, despite giving the president the ability to "regulate imports", didn't actually mean it. This is lawlessness from the Court, plain and simple. And its only effect will be to make it harder for the president to protect American industries and supply chain resiliency," he said.

Today, the Supreme Court decided that Congress, despite giving the president the ability to "regulate imports", didn't actually mean it. This is lawlessness from the Court, plain and simple. And its only effect will be to make it harder for the president to protect American…

— JD Vance (@JDVance) February 20, 2026

"President Trump has a wide range of other tariff powers, and he will use them to defend American workers and advance this administration's trade priorities," he added.
Shortly after SC's ruling, Trump announced he would sign an executive order for a 10% global tariff under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974. This authority allows for a temporary import surcharge (up to 15%) for 150 days to address balance-of-payments deficits.
"Effective immediately, all the national security tariffs under Section 232 and existing Section 301 tariffs remain in place... Today, I will sign an order to impose a 10% global tariff under Section 122 over and above our normal tariffs already being charged," he said.
Chief Justice John Roberts, joined by Justices Neil Gorsuch, Amy Coney Barrett, and the three liberal justices, held that the IEEPA does not explicitly authorise the president to levy duties--a power the Constitution assigns to Congress.
Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, and Brett Kavanaugh dissented, supporting the administration's broader interpretation of emergency powers.
The ruling invalidated billions of dollars in "reciprocal" and emergency tariffs, potentially requiring the government to refund approximately $130-$175 billion in collected revenue.
US Supreme Court has held that the US President did not possess the authority under IEEPA to impose extensive import duties on goods from nearly all US trading partners.
Trump has already stated that "alternatives will be used" to replace the tariffs that the court has "incorrectly rejected."
"Other alternatives will now be used to replace the ones that the court incorrectly rejected. We have alternatives. Could be more money, we will take in more money... We have taken in hundreds of billions of dollars. We will continue to do so," he said. (ANI)