Oregon Argues Before Supreme Court That Trump Tariffs Exceeded Emergency Powers

Oregon Challenge To Trump Tariff Heard By SCOTUS

After the United States Court of International Trade struck down Trump’s Executive Order hiking tariffs on Chinese and EU imports in May, it found the tariffs exceeded the president’s authority under IEEPA and were therefore unlawful.

The federal government appealed against the ruling to SCOTUS on August 29, 2025.

SCOTUS, which has a 6-3 conservative majority that often takes months to reach big decisions, agreed to an expedited review of the Federal Circuit decision.

The plaintiff states were heard yesterday. The case tests whether the president exceeded his authority under IEEPA.

Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield said, “Working families are facing an affordability crisis across our nation, and the president has abused an emergency power.”

Rayfield confirmed that the president’s attorney has admitted that the American people – not foreign countries – will pay 30-80% of these tariffs.

The lawsuit challenges the president’s use of IEEPA to impose broad tariffs on imports, arguing that the statute does not delegate Congress’s tariff powers under Article I of the U.S. Constitution.

Congressional leaders have also backed Oregon’s lawsuit challenging the federal government’s use of emergency powers to impose sweeping tariffs, filing an amicus brief at the end of last month.

Economists have also warned that these policies could cost Oregon businesses more than one billion dollars if they remain in place, as local farmers face rising costs and shrinking markets, while manufacturers and retailers pay more for imported goods.

AG Rayfield said, “Sitting in that courtroom today, you could really feel what’s at stake for working families.”