Supreme Court won’t hear challenge to Trump’s steel tariffs

The Supreme Court refused Monday to speed a case that had sought to overturn President Trump’s power to impose tariffs.

The justices declined the case without comment, leaving Mr. Trump free — for now — to use tariffs as a punishment for countries he feels are obstructing his agenda or taking advantage of the U.S.

The case grew out of the president’s decision last year to slap a 25% tariff on imported steel, spurring a lawsuit from importers who said the president’s national security justification rang hollow. They said Congress, not the president, has exclusive power over taxes and foreign duties and cannot delegate that power to the president.

A three-judge panel of the Court of International Trade ruled in favor of the administration, saying past precedent has given Congress broad leeway to leave decisions to the executive branch about when — and how high — to impose tariffs.

Normally the case would go to an appeals court but the steel importers had asked the justices to skip that step and hear the case on a direct appeal — a rarity. The court did not accept the opportunity.

Mr. Trump has shown an affinity for tariffs, imposing them on both international friends and opponents alike.

His steel tariffs could impose more than $4.5 billion in duties on imported steel products.