Trending Now - Court Rejects Doj's Delay on Tariff Refunds Amid Trump’s Call

WHO:

President Trump

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit

U.S. Court of International Trade

Justice Department

Ryan Majerus, trade lawyer at King & Spalding

Siddartha Rao, partner at Hoguet Newman Regal & Kenney

Neal Katyal, attorney representing small businesses

Chief Justice John Roberts

WHAT:

A federal court rejected the Trump administration’s attempt to delay the tariff refund process.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit sent the case to the U.S. Court of International Trade to sort out the refund process.

The Supreme Court ruled on February 20, 2026, that Trump’s tariffs were illegal.

The government collected over $130 billion from tariffs by mid-December 2025 and could owe up to $175 billion in refunds.

The Trump administration requested a 90-day delay in the refund process, which was denied by the court.

Small businesses, including FedEx, Revlon, and Costco, are seeking refunds.

WHERE:

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit

U.S. Court of International Trade in New York

Washington, D.C.

WHEN:

Supreme Court ruling on February 20, 2026

Court decision on March 2, 2026

Refund process initiated following the Supreme Court ruling

WHY:

The Supreme Court ruled that the tariffs imposed by Trump were illegal under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, which does not grant the president the authority to impose such tariffs.

The Trump administration indicated it would issue refunds if the tariffs were found unlawful.

HOW:

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit declined the Justice Department's request for a delay and initiated the next phase of the refund process.

The Supreme Court's decision did not provide guidance on the refund process, leaving it to the U.S. Court of International Trade to determine the next steps.

QUOTES:

Ryan Majerus: “I would expect the Court of International Trade to quickly issue an order requesting a status update from the government on their plans with respect to refunds.”

Siddartha Rao: “Everyone is sort of cognizant of the fact that it’s not like there’s over a hundred billion dollars sitting in, you know, in a room somewhere to just cut checks.”

Trump on Truth Social: “It doesn’t make sense that Countries and Companies that took advantage of us for decades... would now be entitled to an undeserved ‘windfall.’”

Chief Justice John Roberts: “The foreign affairs implications of tariffs do not make it any more likely that Congress would relinquish its tariff power through vague language.”

In a significant ruling, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit rejected President Trump's administration's request for a 90-day delay in the tariff refund process, sending the case to the U.S. Court of International Trade to sort out the next steps. This follows the Supreme Court's decision on February 20, which deemed Trump's tariffs illegal, potentially leaving the government liable for up to $175 billion in refunds to small businesses like FedEx and Costco. Trade lawyer Ryan Majerus expects the Court of International Trade to act swiftly, while Chief Justice John Roberts emphasized that the implications of tariffs do not grant the president the authority to impose them without clear congressional approval.