Trump’s Section 301 Tariffs on 86 Nations Face Third Federal Court Test
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Sep 30
Trump’s Section 301 Tariffs on 86 Nations Face Third Federal Court Test
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Sep 30
Summary
A federal panel in New York is set to hear a third major case in under two years over Trump’s authority to impose broad import tariffs, this time targeting duties levied in July on 86 countries.
Section 301 of the 1974 Trade Act was used to justify the tariffs, with the administration arguing those countries failed to curb forced labor and disadvantaged U.S. firms with stronger worker protections.
States and small businesses say the government lacked the evidence Section 301 requires and instead used the process to revive tariff policies that courts had already found unlawful.
The Court of International Trade has twice ruled against Trump in major tariff disputes, and another loss could force the administration to return money already collected.
Can Section 301 legally support near-global forced-labor tariffs, or will the trade court strike down Trump’s latest duties and trigger massive refunds?
Did the administration build a real country-by-country case for its July 2026 tariffs, or just recreate a broad tariff wall under a new law?