The sweeping federal court order blocking Trump’s tariffs, explained

President Donald Trump delivers remarks at Arlington National Cemetery on May 26, 2025. | Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

A federal court ruled on Wednesday evening that the massive tariffs President Donald Trump imposed shortly after beginning his second term are illegal. 

The US Court of International Trade’s decision in two consolidated cases — known as V.O.S. Selections v. United States and Oregon v. Department of Homeland Security — is quite broad. It argues that the Constitution...