The United States Supreme Court will issue its opinions on various cases next Friday and one of them is expected to be on the tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump, according to the court’s website.
According to the program he published yesterday, on January 9 at 10 a.m. Washington time, he plans to issue rulings on the cases discussed, including the tariffs imposed by the US government on Liberation Day. The levies have been applied to all its trading partners, including Mexico and Canada, which are part of the T-MEC.
Technically, the Supreme Court has until the end of June to issue its ruling, but because it is an expedited hearing, it is likely to make its opinion on the tariffs public on so-called “Decision Day.”
In hearings in early November, the court cast doubt on Donald Trump’s authority to impose tariffs under a 1977 law.
This occurs almost five months before the review of the trilateral pact begins, but also after Trump indicated in December that he can leave the treaty and initiate bilateral agreements with Canada and Mexico.
According to Bloomberg, “a ruling against Trump on tariffs would undermine his signature economic policy and deal him his biggest legal defeat since he returned to the White House.”
Furthermore, in recent days The Wall Street Journal considered that Mexico is the unexpected winner of the tariff policy of the United States administration, since compared to other countries it has the lowest rates. On several occasions, Marcelo Ebrard Casaubón, head of the Ministry of Economy (SE), has highlighted this country’s tariff position.
In the case of Mexico, Trump imposed 25 percent tariffs on all exports to the United States under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). Currently, with official figures, 85 percent of Mexican exports are not paying these tariffs, because they are protected under the T-MEC. These levies were motivated by issues such as migration and fentanyl, which are part of the national security agenda of the neighboring country.
In addition, there are sectoral tariffs; All Mexican exports of aluminum, steel and copper pay 50 percent, since these levies are justified by national security in section 232 of the Trade Law of 1962.
In the case of cars and auto parts manufactured in Mexico that seek to be exported, companies must pay between 15 and 25 percent if they contain parts that do not meet the regional content as dictated by the rules of origin of the T-MEC.