The Court applies the same “Major Questions” logic to Trump’s tariffs that it previously used to dismantle Biden’s pandemic mandates and student debt relief.
TLDR
The Supreme Court ruling in Learning Resources v. Trump solidifies a new era of judicial skepticism regarding executive emergency powers. By striking down the administration’s unilateral tariffs, the Court demonstrated that the “Major Questions Doctrine”—which requires clear congressional permission for actions of vast economic or political significance—applies regardless of the President’s party or the specific emergency claimed. This follows a pattern set during the Biden administration, where the Court invalidated the OSHA vaccine mandate, the CDC eviction moratorium, and the $400 billion student loan forgiveness plan. In each instance, the Court held that vague or broad language in decades-old statutes cannot be used as a “blank check” for the Executive Branch to seize Congress’s power of the purse or its legislative authority.
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