The U.S. Court of International Trade rejected an emergency request to pause an injunction against President Trump's Section 122 tariffs, clearing the way for the trade restrictions to remain blocked during ongoing litigation.
The ruling preserves a lower court's injunction that halts collection of the tariffs while legal challenges proceed. Trump's administration had sought to stay the injunction, which would have allowed tariff collection to resume immediately. The court's refusal to grant that stay means the tariffs remain unenforceable for now.
Section 122 of the Trade Act grants the president broad authority to impose tariffs on national security grounds. Trump invoked this provision to announce sweeping tariff increases affecting major trading partners including Canada, Mexico, and China. The tariffs sparked immediate legal challenges from businesses and trade groups arguing the president exceeded his statutory authority and violated procedural requirements.
The lower court injunction found the plaintiffs likely to succeed on the merits of their legal claims. That determination carries weight in appellate review. The Court of International Trade, which specializes in trade disputes, concluded that maintaining the injunction pending litigation serves the interests of justice.
The decision reflects skepticism about the administration's legal theory supporting the tariffs. Courts have increasingly scrutinized unilateral presidential trade actions when they lack clear statutory authorization or deviate from established procedures.
The case now moves forward with the injunction in place. Both sides will pursue full litigation on whether Trump properly invoked Section 122 authority. If the administration loses on the merits, the tariffs face permanent invalidation. If it wins, the injunction lifts and tariffs take effect retroactively with potential collection of unpaid duties.
The ruling affects billions of dollars in trade flows and business planning. Companies had paused tariff-related investments and supply chain adjustments pending clarity on whether the tariffs would survive legal review. The injunction's preservation