U.S. President Donald Trump opted out of attending Wednesday’s Supreme Court oral arguments regarding his tariff policies, stating, “It’s not about me.” In a surprising turn of events, comedian John Mulaney made an appearance at the proceedings. Mulaney, who had previously discussed “the parallels between Supreme Court arguments and stand-up” on lawyer Neal Katyal’s podcast, was present as Katyal presented arguments for small businesses suing the Trump administration.
During the hearing, Katyal emphasized that tariffs function as taxes, transferring money from Americans to the U.S. Treasury, a power granted solely to Congress by the Constitution. Trump’s Solicitor General John Sauer argued that the tariffs were not taxes, leading to skepticism from the justices, including Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Neil Gorsuch.
The case revolves around Trump’s use of the 1977 International Economic Emergency Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose tariffs, a move unprecedented by any previous president. The administration faced defeats in lower courts, with the Supreme Court justices displaying skepticism towards Trump’s tariff authority. Analysts predict a ruling against the tariffs, which could require the Treasury to refund the collected funds.
The potential ruling may not impact all of Trump’s tariffs, particularly those affecting the Canadian economy. These tariffs targeted specific Canadian exports, including those not compliant with trade agreements, resulting in significant tariff collections on imports from Canada this year.