On Feb. 19, 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a 9‑5 ruling that nullified 12 of the 14 tariffs on steel and aluminum imposed by former President Donald Trump. The Court found the administration lacked statutory authority under the Trade Expansion Act of 1962.
The majority opinion, written by Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, said the tariffs exceeded the President’s power to adjust import duties for national security, a claim the administration had used to justify the measures against Canada, Mexico, the European Union and several Asian countries.
What the Right Is Saying
Republican leaders, such as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, condemned the decision as judicial overreach that undermines the President’s ability to protect national security and American industry.
Former President Trump, via a statement on his website, called the ruling "an unprecedented attack on the Constitution" and urged Congress to pass legislation that would reaffirm executive authority over trade remedies.
What the Left Is Saying
Democratic leaders, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Hakeem Jeffries, hailed the decision as a win for American workers. Schumer said, "This decision will lower costs for American manufacturers and protect jobs." (source: AP). The tariffs had raised the cost of raw materials for U.S. manufacturers and contributed to higher consumer prices.
The Economic Policy Institute, citing its own analysis, argued that the Court’s ruling will help restore competitive pricing in the steel and aluminum markets and reduce the $4 billion in extra costs that the tariffs imposed on U.S. businesses last year.
What the Numbers Show
The tariffs, enacted in 2022, covered approximately $30 billion in steel and aluminum imports and raised average duty rates from 2.5% to 25% on targeted products. The U.S. International Trade Commission reported that the measures added an estimated $4 billion in costs to domestic manufacturers in 2023‑24.
Since the Court’s decision, the Department of Commerce has begun refunding duties collected on the invalidated tariffs, with an initial estimate of $1.2 billion in refunds to be issued to affected importers.
The Bottom Line
The Supreme Court’s ruling removes the majority of Trump‑era tariffs, reshaping the trade landscape ahead of upcoming negotiations with the European Union and the United States‑Mexico‑Canada Agreement renewal. Lawmakers on both sides will now focus on how to address the remaining two tariffs and whether new legislation is needed to clarify presidential trade powers.