U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration is seeking to postpone legal proceedings related to tariff refunds for importers after the Supreme Court struck down his global duties last week.
According to the court filing on Friday, the administration is seeking a delay of up to four months before resuming litigation over tariff refunds in the U.S. Court of International Trade.
The Supreme Court ruling last week dealt a significant blow to Trump’s signature economic policy and is expected to trigger a complex and legally challenging refund process, as importers file claims to recover the tariffs they paid.
“In a case on review from a federal court, the Supreme Court sends down its judgment 32 days after entry of judgment,” the government said in its filing to the United States Court of Appeals.
The administration further requested that the court grant a delay of “90 days to allow the political branches an opportunity to consider options.”
In August last year, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled that numerous tariffs imposed by Trump were unlawful but left the issue of refunds to the Court of International Trade.
The court delayed issuing its mandate while Trump appealed the case to the Supreme Court.
Last week, the high court determined that Trump had overstepped his authority in imposing broad duties on multiple countries, invalidating those tariffs. The ruling, however, did not impact his targeted tariffs on specific sectors, such as steel and automobiles.
Following the Supreme Court’s decision, Trump invoked a separate law to impose a new 10% tariff on imports into the United States. On Friday, he again criticized the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down his earlier tariffs, arguing that it would let foreign countries and companies continue ‘ripping off’ the United States.
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