The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear a challenge to tariffs against China implemented by President Donald Trump in his first term.

According to USA Today, levies impacting $50 billion in Chinese goods had initially been put into place in 2018 under Section 301 of the 1974 Trade Act, which allows the U.S. to enact tariffs in response to unfair trade practices. Trump then cited a separate provision — Section 307 — allowing the president to modify Section 301 tariffs later on, to expand those tariffs to cover $370 billion worth of Chinese imports in 2019.

Read More: Explained: How Trump Can (Try to) Impose Tariffs

Companies that had sued the Trump administration argued that Trump was illegally using Section 307 to get around Section 301's more strict requirements, and claimed that Section 307 only allows for minor changes to be made to existing tariffs. A federal appeals court ruled against those companies in September 2025, stating that Section 307 modifications contain "no inherent limitations." The ruling was then appealed to the Supreme Court, which opted to leave the appeals court's decision in place.

The Supreme Court ruled against separate Trump administration tariffs in February 2026, that had been put into place under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). At the time, justices ruled that IEEPA doesn't authorize the president to impose tariffs, with plaintiffs in the case further arguing that the law was originally crafted to limit the White House's power, not expand it.