WASHINGTON, D.C.: Renowned Indian-American attorney Neal Katyal has secured a historic legal victory against U.S. President Donald Trump, as the Supreme Court ruled against the administration’s unilateral imposition of import tariffs. The court declared that the President’s use of the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act to levy taxes was unconstitutional, reinforcing that the power to tax resides with Congress, not the executive branch.
In a significant blow to the administration, six justices—including two appointed by Trump himself—voted against the President’s position. This ruling serves as a massive validation of the arguments presented by Katyal, who represented small business owners devastated by the sudden tariffs. Katyal successfully argued that the President’s claim of near-absolute authority was a direct violation of the constitutional separation of powers.
Katyal, a former Acting Solicitor General under the Obama administration and current law professor at Georgetown University, hailed the verdict as a milestone for the American rule of law. Born in Chicago to Indian immigrants, Katyal has argued over 50 cases before the Supreme Court. He noted that this decision proves that even the most powerful person in the world must remain subject to the Constitution and the law of the land.
