Reuters: Supreme Court tariff arguments, as they happened

What happened Wednesday

A protester holds a sign outside the Supreme Court, in Washington, D.C., November 5, 2025. REUTERS/Nathan Howard 

U.S. Supreme Court justices raised doubts over the legality of Trump‘s tariffs in a case that marks a major test of Trump’s power and has implications for the global economy.

Both conservative and liberal justices sharply questioned the lawyer representing Trump’s administration about whether the president had intruded on the power of Congress in imposing tariffs under a 1977 law meant for use during national emergencies.

The administration has argued that IEEPA allows tariffs by authorizing the president to “regulate” imports to address emergencies.

The lawyer arguing on behalf of a group of private companies, told the justices that commonsense makes clear that the administration’s interpretation of IEEPA is flawed.

Some of the conservative justices also signaled that they were wrestling with their recognition of the inherent power that presidents have in dealing with foreign countries.

The court, with a 6-3 conservative majority, could be sharply divided in the outcome of the case.

While the Supreme Court typically takes months to issue rulings after hearing arguments, the Trump administration has asked it to act swiftly in this case.

However, the timing of the decision remains unclear.

We’re winding up our live coverage for now, but our colleagues Andrew Chung, John Kruzel and Jan Wolfe broke down what happened over the two and a half hours of arguments. You can read up on that here.