A federal judge has paved the way for thousands of US businesses to receive refunds for tariffs the Supreme Court struck down last month.
The US Court of International Trade on Wednesday instructed Customs and Border Protection to issue refunds for levies introduced last year by President Donald Trump under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).
“All importers of record whose entries were subject to IEEPA duties are entitled to the benefit” of the Supreme Court’s ruling, Judge Richard Eaton wrote.
While the payment process remains unclear, the ruling represents a major setback for Trump, who had sought to replace the import taxes and criticized the prospect of refunds.
The case originated from a lawsuit by Tennessee-based Atmus Filtration, but Judge Eaton ruled he will oversee all refund cases.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the government is “likely” to implement a 15% global tariff this week, up from 10%, to replace the IEEPA tariffs struck down by the Supreme Court, amid conflicting statements from Trump about the new rate.
The Trump administration collected an estimated $130bn (£97bn) from IEEPA tariffs on most imports. Companies such as FedEx have filed lawsuits seeking full refunds.
Dan Anthony, from the small-business coalition We Pay the Tariffs, called the decision a “victory.” He urged a “full, fast, and automatic refund process” for affected businesses.
Questions remain about the future of US import tax policies. Last April, Trump announced “Liberation Day” tariffs on dozens of countries, starting at 10% and rising as high as 50% in some cases. These tariffs triggered trade negotiations as countries sought lower rates in exchange for investment and policy commitments.
The Supreme Court ruling last month invalidated these tariffs, including some previously announced for goods from Mexico, Canada, and China, citing the president’s emergency powers.
