US supreme court ruling on Trump’s tariffs could come as early as Tuesday
Yohannes Lowe
Good morning, and welcome to our live coverage of US politics. The much-anticipated US supreme court ruling on the legality of Donald Trump’s tariffs is expected in the coming weeks, and possibly as early as Tuesday, according to the Reuters news agency.
Those challenging the tariffs, which include some small businesses and US states, argue the president exceeded his authority when imposing the sweeping levies last year.
Two lower courts have already found that the president did not have the authority to impose global tariffs, which were brought in using emergency powers allowing the president to issue immediate orders and bypass Congress.
The supreme court, which is dominated by conservative justices, could throw out the tariffs – the cornerstone of Trump’s economic agenda – and force the president to send refunds to the US importers that paid them.
But if the supreme court does rule Trump overstepped his authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Actor IEEPA, to impose the tariffs, the White House has other ways it can bring in import taxes.
In a 15 January interview with the NY Times published on Mondaythe US trade representative, Jamieson Greersaid the administration would “start the next day” to replace the tariffs with other levies if the ruling went against Trump.
“The reality is the president is going to have tariffs as part of his trade policy going forward,” Greer said. Last week, Trump said it would be “a complete mess” if the court were to strike down his trade tariffs, which he said would be difficult to reverse because businesses and countries could claim refunds.
Key events
Two boxes have been brought out at the supreme court, which means there could be up to four decisions released today.
As we wait on today’s opinions from the supreme court, it’s worth remembering that justices on the bench appeared skeptical of the administration’s arguments justifying the use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to slap duties on dozens of countries, citing a national emergency. A reminder that the ability to institute taxes is a power normally only afforded to Congress.
Per my last post, my colleagues Jakub Krupa and Yohannes Lowe are reporting the latest developments out of Europe at our dedicate live blog. While Graeme Worthen is providing updates from Davos on our business blog.
Graeme notes that at an earlier press conference today, treasury secretary Scott Bessent said that there are four “fantastic candidates” for Federal Reserve chair. He expects the Trump administration to make an announcement “maybe as early as next week”.
In a spree of Truth Social posts overnight, Donald Trump posted an altered image of himself, planting a US flag in Greenland, alongside JD Vance and secretary of state Marco Rubio.
In another post, also featuring a doctored photoit shows Trump behind the resolute desk speaking to European leaders while he shows off a map that shows an American flag covering the US, Canada and Greenland.
Trump’s campaign to acquire the autonomous territory, that remains part of the Kingdom of Denmark, has reached fever pitch in recent days after he threatened tariffs against allied countries who have spoken out against his moves on Greenland. We can expect more friction as the president heads to Davos today.
Earlier, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen repeatedly criticized Trump for his levy threats, saying they would be “a mistake” and could send the relations into “a downward spiral” that benefits geopolitical rivals. She also pledged her solidarity and support with Denmark and Greenland.
Second man dies at Texas ICE detention facility in two weeks
Victoria Bekiempis
A second man being held at a US immigration detention facility in Texas has died in two weeks, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said on Monday.
Victor Manuel Diaz36, originally from Nicaragua, was found “unconscious and unresponsive in his room” on 14 January at the Camp East Montana detention facility in El Paso, ICE said in a press release.
“They immediately notified contract medical staff on site to conduct life saving measures,” it said, adding that emergency medical technicians arrived to the facility but could not revive Diaz, who was pronounced dead just after 4pm. ICE asserted that Diaz “died of a presumed suicide” but that the “official cause of his death remains under investigation”.
Diaz was detained on 6 January during the Trump administration’s controversial deportation blitz in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He initially entered the US through the Mexican border in March of 2024, when border patrol agents picked him up and he was given a court date with an immigration judge, then released on parole.
On 26 August of last year an immigration judge ordered Diaz’s removal “in absentia”. ICE detained him on 12 January in order to deport him. The extensive tent facility is located on the Fort Bliss military base in El Paso …
Another man, Geraldo Lunas Campos55, who immigrated to the US from Cuba, died in the same detention camp on 3 January. ICE said Campos was “experiencing medical distress” and that staff provided emergency treatment in the hopes of saving him. His death is potentially being investigated as a homicide.
You can read the full story here:
Judge refuses to block new DHS policy limiting Congress members’ access to ICE facilities
Yohannes Lowe
In other news, a federal judge has refused to temporarily block the Trump administration from enforcing a new policy requiring a week’s notice before members of Congress can visit – and thereby inspect – immigration detention facilities.
Judge Jia M. Cobb of the Federal District Court for the District of Columbia concluded that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) didn’t violate an earlier court order when it reimposed a seven-day notice requirement for congressional oversight visits to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities (you can read her judgment here).
Judge Cobb, an appointee of Democratic former president Joe Biden, had blocked a virtually identical policy by the DHS last month, citing a clause in the appropriations law that funds the department and requires facilities to be open to congressional scrutiny.
However, ICE reestablished the visitation policy on 8 January 2026, with the homeland security secretary, Kristi Noemordering the DHS to re-impose the seven-day notice requirement – but “exclusively with money appropriated by the (One Big Beautiful Bill Act),” not regular appropriations, effectively bypassing the previous court order.
The background to this is that last June, a dozen House Democrats who were blocked from visiting immigration detention facilities sued the Trump administration, accusing it of unlawfully obstructing their efforts to visit federal immigration detention centers.
Members of Congress had tried to visit the facilities amid reports of inhumane and unsanitary conditions. Thirty-two people died in ICE custody last year, the highest number of fatalities in two decades. At least five people have reportedly died in ICE custody so far this year.
In her ruling on Monday, Judge Cobb said the plaintiffs’ attorneys representing Democratic members of Congress used the wrong “procedural vehicle” to challenge the new policy and said the lawmakers would need to revise their complaint. She did not rule on the legality of the policy.
Donald Trump will head to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland later today.
He’ll be joining several of the ally countries that he’s been lambasting, and threatening with tariffs, in recent days over his longstanding goal to annex Greenland.
The president is due to leave the White House after a closed-door signing. We’ll bring you the latest in case he decides to speak to the press before he heads off.
Later today we’ll also hear from Caroline Leavitt when she holds a briefing for reporters at 1pm ET. We’ll be covering that and provide updates here.
US supreme court to hear challenge to Hawaii’s strict gun law
Eric Berger
Hawaii, which has some of the strictest gun laws in the United States, will see its regulations challenged before the supreme court on Tuesday.
The court will consider the legality of the state’s law that bans people from bringing firearms on private property open to the public unless they have permission from the property owner.
The case, Wolford v. Lopezwas brought by three Maui residents with concealed-carry permits and a local gun group.
US supreme court ruling on Trump’s tariffs could come as early as Tuesday
Yohannes Lowe
Good morning, and welcome to our live coverage of US politics. The much-anticipated US supreme court ruling on the legality of Donald Trump’s tariffs is expected in the coming weeks, and possibly as early as Tuesday, according to the Reuters news agency.
Those challenging the tariffs, which include some small businesses and US states, argue the president exceeded his authority when imposing the sweeping levies last year.
Two lower courts have already found that the president did not have the authority to impose global tariffs, which were brought in using emergency powers allowing the president to issue immediate orders and bypass Congress.
The supreme court, which is dominated by conservative justices, could throw out the tariffs – the cornerstone of Trump’s economic agenda – and force the president to send refunds to the US importers that paid them.
But if the supreme court does rule Trump overstepped his authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Actor IEEPA, to impose the tariffs, the White House has other ways it can bring in import taxes.
In a 15 January interview with the NY Times published on Mondaythe US trade representative, Jamieson Greersaid the administration would “start the next day” to replace the tariffs with other levies if the ruling went against Trump.
“The reality is the president is going to have tariffs as part of his trade policy going forward,” Greer said. Last week, Trump said it would be “a complete mess” if the court were to strike down his trade tariffs, which he said would be difficult to reverse because businesses and countries could claim refunds.
