60% of Americans back Supreme Court decision blocking Trump's emergency tariffs, poll finds

WASHINGTON, DC: A majority of Americans approved of the Supreme Court’s recent decision blocking much of President Donald Trump’s sweeping emergency tariffs, according to a new YouGov survey released on Friday, February 20.

The poll found that 60% of US adults “strongly” or “somewhat” approved of the high court’s ruling, while 23% “strongly” or “somewhat” disapproved and 17% remained unsure. 

The court’s decision came in a 6-3 ruling that determined Trump did not have authority under a decades-old emergency powers law to impose broad global tariffs. The case marked the first time the Supreme Court directly evaluated a second-term Trump policy on its merits.

Public opinion split along party lines

The survey, conducted among 3,023 respondents with a margin of error of 3 percentage points, showed strong partisan differences in reaction to the ruling.

Democrats overwhelmingly supported the decision, with 88% expressing approval. Among independents, 63% backed the court’s action. Republican respondents were more divided: 43% disapproved of the ruling, while 30% said they approved.

The poll also examined views on the economic effects of Trump’s tariffs. 

Forty-one percent of respondents said prices had “increased a lot” under the administration’s tariff policies, while 25% said prices increased “slightly.”

Sixteen percent reported that the tariffs had “no effect,” and 5% were unsure. Less than 1% of those surveyed said that the tariffs had decreased prices.

Following the ruling, Trump described the decision as “disappointing” and criticized Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Neil Gorsuch, both of whom he appointed, for siding with the majority.

“I don’t want to say whether I regret nominating them,” the president told reporters from the White House on Friday afternoon. “I think their decision was terrible.”

He added that he was “proud” of Justice Brett Kavanaugh, saying the justice’s “stock has gone so up.”

Supreme Court sets limits on emergency tariff authority

The Supreme Court ruled on Friday that President Donald Trump did not have the authority to impose broad global tariffs under a 1977 federal emergency powers law, delivering a major legal setback to the administration’s trade strategy.

In a 6-3 decision, the court held that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) did not authorize the imposition of tariffs. Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Brett Kavanaugh dissented.

The ruling affirmed an earlier judgment by the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, which found the tariffs unlawful and outside the scope of the statute’s intended powers.

Writing for the majority, Chief Justice John Roberts determined that the law’s authority to “regulate or prohibit” international transactions did not extend to setting broad trade duties.

While the court invalidated the use of IEEPA for sweeping tariff measures, it offered no guidance on potential refunds, leaving that issue to lower courts.

The nonpartisan Penn Wharton Budget Model estimates that as much as $175 billion in tariff revenue could be subject to refund claims.

Economists noted that importers had a 180-day window after goods are “liquidated” to protest and request refunds from the US Customs and Border Protection.

Shortly after the ruling, Trump announced that he had signed an executive order imposing a 10% tariff on imports from countries worldwide under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, a provision allowing tariffs of up to 15% for 150 days to address significant trade deficits.