Overview

• A three-judge panel in Manhattan is hearing oral arguments from small businesses challenging President Trump's April tariffs as unconstitutional under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).
• The plaintiffs, including a New York liquor distributor and businesses from Utah, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Vermont, claim the tariffs cause irreparable harm by disrupting import-dependent operations.
• The Department of Justice argues the tariffs are justified by a national emergency declaration and congressional authorization under IEEPA, emphasizing the president's authority in foreign affairs and national security.
• This marks the first time the Court of International Trade, a specialized trade-focused court, is reviewing the merits of lawsuits against the tariffs, which face at least six separate legal challenges.
• The court previously denied an emergency injunction to block the tariffs, finding insufficient evidence of immediate and irreparable harm.