On June 22, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a case brought by the American Institute for International Steel (AIIS), which represents importers of foreign-made steel which essentially ended the importer group’s effort to keep President Donald Trump from placing tariffs on their members’ steel under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act in 1962.
AIIS had argued the act was unconstitutional, but in declining without comment to hear the case, the high court signaled that only Congress can limit the executive branch’s power in trade. Both the U.S. Court of International Trade and the Federal Appeals Court for Washington, D.C., had previously upheld the tariffs.