Bang Illinois demands Trump to pay $8.68 billion in taxes after historic tariff ruling

When Donald Trump declared April 2nd last year as "Liberation Day," he launched one of the most aggressive tariff expansion campaigns in modern U.S. history. Under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977 (IEEPA), Trump imposed broad retaliatory tariffs on many major trading partners, claiming that the prolonged trade deficit constituted a national emergency. This move bypassed Congress and quickly disrupted global trade.

Nearly a year later, on February 20th, the U.S. Supreme Court reversed that authority with a 6–3 ruling, affirming that IEEPA does not grant the president the power to impose tariffs. Chief Justice John Roberts emphasized that this law does not provide such authority, rendering numerous tariffs—including a 25% tariff on goods from Canada and Mexico, as well as expanded tariffs on China—invalid.

The ruling has political repercussions in Illinois, where Governor JB Pritzker has demanded the return of $8.68 billion, arguing that households have suffered damages from tariffs now deemed unconstitutional.