---
title: "US trade court hears challenge to Trump’s global tariffs under 1970s law"
description: "A three-judge panel at the Court of International Trade will consider whether Section 301 authorises duties on nearly all US imports"
author: "rews desk"
published: 2026-09-30T09:00:29.710Z
modified: 2026-09-30T13:18:16Z
url: https://rews.cc/a/us-trade-court-hears-challenge-to-trump-s-global-tariffs-und-edb67d
language: en
tags: ["trump", "tariffs", "trade", "economy", "law", "us", "world"]
publisher: "Rews (https://rews.cc)"
---

# US trade court hears challenge to Trump’s global tariffs under 1970s law

*A three-judge panel at the Court of International Trade will consider whether Section 301 authorises duties on nearly all US imports*

By rews desk · September 30, 2026 · https://rews.cc/a/us-trade-court-hears-challenge-to-trump-s-global-tariffs-und-edb67d

## In brief

- A three-judge panel at the US Court of International Trade heard arguments on the tariffs on Wednesday
- Since late July, goods from 80 countries face 10%-12.5% rates over alleged failure to curb forced labour
- The Liberty Justice Center, which won the earlier Supreme Court tariff case, filed the complaint
- The Supreme Court voided a separate 10% blanket duty, triggering $168 billion in importer refunds
- A related US ban on nearly $1 billion in Canadian goods, including alcohol and dairy, took effect Tuesday

A three-judge panel at the US Court of International Trade heard arguments on Wednesday in a case challenging President Donald Trump’s authority to impose tariffs on nearly everything the United States imports under a 1970s trade law.

Since late July, goods from 80 countries, including China, India and Japan, have faced tariff rates ranging from 10% to 12.5%, according to CNN. The administration imposed the duties after determining the countries had allegedly failed to address the use of forced labour in producing goods shipped to the US, with the US Trade Representative recommending the tariffs as a remedy and higher rates applying to countries deemed the “worst offenders.”

The complaint was filed by the Liberty Justice Center, a libertarian public-interest law firm that won the landmark Supreme Court tariff case earlier this year. It argues the administration is moving to preserve a predetermined global tariff policy, which it says is an improper use of the trade law commonly referred to as Section 301.

Administration officials told reporters previously that the timing of the new duties was designed to “avoid complexity” that would come from layering them on top of the then-existing 10% levies, according to CNN.

“The real message here that everyone needs to take away is the president is going to always use the tools at his disposal to achieve his trade policy objectives,” administration officials said on a briefing call with reporters shortly before the duties took effect.

The rollout of the new tariffs coincided with the lapse of a separate 10% near-blanket duty Trump had imposed earlier in the year under a different legal authority. The Supreme Court later ruled that Trump had overstepped his authority, a decision that immediately invalidated those tariffs and triggered $168 billion in refunds for importers.

While Wednesday’s arguments may offer indications of how the judges view the case, a ruling could take weeks or months. Either side could appeal to the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, which could also decide whether to suspend enforcement of the tariffs while the case proceeds. The dispute could eventually reach the Supreme Court, extending the legal fight by several more months.

By the time the case concludes, Trump may have already enacted additional duties, CNN reported. Several pending Section 301 investigations are widely expected to lead to higher border taxes, and Trump has also used a Great Depression-era trade law to impose 50% duties on $20 billion worth of goods from Canada and to issue widespread import bans on Canadian products.

One such measure took effect early Tuesday: a US ban on nearly $1 billion in imports from Canada, including alcoholic beverages, dairy products and motorcycles, Al Jazeera reported.

The ban answers Canada’s counter-tariffs on $20 billion worth of US imports and is likely to further strain relations between the two neighbours, according to Al Jazeera.

The Liberty Justice Center case is the first to test the Section 301 duties since they took effect in late July; the Court of International Trade has given no indication of when it will rule.

## Sources

- [Trump's tariffs are back in court — again](https://cnn.com/2026/09/30/economy/trumps-tariffs-are-back-in-court-again) — cnn.com
- [US ban on $1bn of Canadian goods takes effect in Trump's latest retaliation](https://aljazeera.com/economy/2026/9/29/us-ban-on-1bn-of-canadian-goods-takes-effect-in-trumps-latest-retaliation) — aljazeera.com