Appeals court finds President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs unconstitutional but leaves them in place for now

WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court ruled Friday that President Donald Trump had no legal right to impose sweeping tariffs but left in place for now his effort to build a protectionist wall around the American economy.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled Trump wasn’t legally allowed to declare national emergencies and impose import taxes on almost every country on earth, largely upholding a May decision by a specialized federal trade court in New York.

But the court tossed out a part of that ruling striking down the tariffs immediately, allowing his administration time to appeal to the Supreme Court.

The decision complicates Trump’s ambitions to upend decades of American trade policy completely on his own. Trump has alternative laws for imposing import taxes, but they would limit the speed and severity with which he could act. His tariffs – and the erratic way he’s rolled them out – have shaken global markets, alienated U.S. trading partners and allies and raised fears of higher prices and slower economic growth.

This is a developing news story.