Legal blow to neo-fascist president’s economic posturing, but will he listen?
A US federal court has dealt a significant legal blow to the Trump regime by ruling that Donald Trump had no legal or constitutional authority to impose the tariffs he has declared on imports from almost every country, despite his attempt to invoke an emergency law to support his attempt.
The Court of International Trade, based in New York’s Manhattan, ruled that the US Constitution reserves powers to regulate commerce with other countries exclusively for the 535 members of Congress – like the ‘power of the purse’ – and that this is not removed, bypassed or diluted by the US president’s role in promoting or safeguarding the economy.
However, US courts do not have enforcement powers if US law agencies side with or are controlled by Trump’s sycophants. The question remains whether his neofascist regime, which has ignored court orders to stop deportations and to bring back wrongly-deported citizens and residents, cares at all about the rule of law enough to obey the courts.
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The question is will the US Congress finally wake up to what is happening and grow a pair before it is too late.
We seem to be helpless, but we must do what we can
The Presidents of France, Germany and the US are considered the three Kings without a crown because of the executive powers that the Presidents of these three states have.
Trump imposed tariffs by using its executive powers. Hence, in theory Trump could win the appeal, depending on the composition of the Supreme Court.
This is why, Trump is in a hurry to ensure that the Supreme Court in its majority is compose of judges that will dance to his tune.
Somehow, I believe Trump is going to find difficult to find enough judges to agree with the tariffs Trump is imposing: for one their daily cup of coffee are raising very much in price, the same with the French wines and the latest electronic gadgets. So fingers crossed the judgement reached today in a Federal Court would not be overturn on appeal.
A correction: the President of the Federal Republic of Germany, currently Hans-Walter Steinmeier, does not hold executive power. Executive power is held by the head of government, whose title is Bundeskanzler (Federal Chancellor), currently Friedrich Merz.
I just did a non-yoogle search and apparently there are at least seven pending federal court cases filed to challenge Trump’s authority to impose tariffs under IEEPA (International Emergency Economic Powers Act). Good luck to ’em.
I just thank heaven/history/whatever that the UK doesn’t (yet) have an IEEPA. Can you imagine how dangerous a person like Keir Starmer or Nigel Farage would be with such a weapon behind him?
(Not that various Police Commissioners/MI5/GCHQ, etc need a UK ieepa to better serve whichever elected psychopath ends up in Downing St.)
” Can you imagine how dangerous a person like Keir Starmer or Nigel Farage would be with such a weapon behind him?”
“fascism does not need fascist parties, only fascist policies”
-Hugo Dionisio
Indeed! Re Starmer’s authoritarian agenda/preferences, I suppose it’s our mega-corrupt corporate press and our constitution that empowers him (would a PM Corbyn – even with the same 1-in-5 votes and majority – be as powerful as the grotesque Starmer currently is? I suspect not thanks to the powerful corporate press that can make the innocent guilty and the guilty powerful)