Supreme Court appears skeptical of Trump's tariffs argument

The Supreme Court is weighing whether President Donald Trump has the authority to impose sweeping tariffs on imports under a law designed for emergencies.

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs appear to be on shaky legal ground, with Supreme Court justices on Wednesday indicating he may not have the authority to impose them under a law designed for use during a national emergency.

The Supreme Court has a 6-3 conservative majority that has regularly backed Trump on various contentious cases since he took office in January, but based on the almost three-hour oral argument, the tariffs dispute could go the other way.

Both conservative and liberal justices asked tough questions of Trump's lawyer, Solicitor General D. John Sauer, though some of the conservatives seemed more sympathetic to his arguments.

The consequences are huge for Trump and the economy at large, with Americans increasingly anxious amid signs that the tariffs are contributing to, rather than alleviating, higher costs.

A new NBC News poll found that 63% of registered voters believe Trump is failing to live up to expectations on the economy, after he ran on lowering prices, in part, through tariffs. Other recent polls show a majority of Americans oppose the tariffs, which disproportionately burden small businesses.