A federal appeals court ruled Friday that most of President Donald Trump's global tariffs are illegal, striking a massive blow to the core of his aggressive trade policy.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, in a 7-4 ruling, held that the law Trump invoked when he granted his most expansive tariffs does not actually grant him the power to impose those levies.
"The core Congressional power to impose taxes such as tariffs is vested exclusively in the legislative branch by the Constitution," the court said. "Tariffs are a core Congressional power."
The appellate court paused its ruling from taking effect until Oct. 14, in order to give the Trump administration time to ask the Supreme Court to reverse the decision.
Trump later Friday attacked the appeals court as "Highly Partisan" and asserted that the Supreme Court will rule in his favor.
"If these Tariffs ever went away, it would be a total disaster for the Country," Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. "If allowed to stand, this Decision would literally destroy the United States of America."
"The President's tariffs remain in effect, and we look forward to ultimate victory on this matter," White House spokesman Kush Desai said in a separate statement.
Friday's ruling is the second straight loss for Trump in the make-or-break case, known as V.O.S. Selections v. Trump.