Justice Amy Coney Barrett had pointed questions Wednesday about the law Donald Trump invoked to impose global tariffs, joining several other justices on the right and left in voicing skepticism about the president’s ability to use a tool he has deemed critical to carrying out his economic agenda.

Solicitor General John Sauer repeatedly argued during the lengthy 2½-hour oral arguments that the emergency law Trump used to enact the tariffs for nearly every U.S. trading partner contained language about regulating imports, which Sauer said included using tariffs. The relevant statute permits the president to «regulate … nullify [and] void … importation,» but it does not use the word «tariff.» Barrett pressed Sauer on this point.

«Can you point to any other place in the code or any other time in history where that phrase together, ‘regulate importation,’ has been used to confer tariff-imposing authority?» Barrett, a Trump appointee, asked.

SUPREME COURT PREPARES TO CONFRONT MONUMENTAL CASE OVER TRUMP EXECUTIVE POWER AND TARIFF AUTHORITY

Sauer noted one other trade law that had served as a precursor to the emergency law in question, but Barrett appeared unconvinced, repeating her question as Sauer failed to offer direct responses.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor, an Obama appointee, interjected, asking Sauer to «just answer the justice’s question.»

Sotomayor at one point noted that no president has ever used the emergency law, known as the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, to impose tariffs, though Sauer argued that President Richard Nixon’s tariffs were used that way even if the IEEPA did not exist at that stage.

«It’s a congressional power, not a presidential power to tax,» Sotomayor said. «And you want to say tariffs are not taxes. But that’s exactly what they are. They’re generating money from American citizens, revenue.»

The liberal justice noted that Congress has always used the phrase «regulate and tax» together, suggesting that the absence of any mention of tariffs or taxes in a law’s language was deliberate and that Congress purposely did not grant that power to the president.

«Are you telling us that, with respect to its use of ‘regulate’ in other statutes, the taxing reference is superfluous? They didn’t need to do that?» Sotomayor asked.

TRUMP ASKS SUPREME COURT FOR URGENT RULING ON TARIFF POWERS AS ‘STAKES COULD NOT BE HIGHER’

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor appeared on «The View» May 21, 2024.  (Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Both Barrett and Sotomayor also drilled down on other verbs in the statute, underscoring the absence of tariff powers.

«To me, things like ‘nullify’ and ‘void’ have definite meanings. I agree with you that ‘regulate’ is a broader term, but those words, I think, are powerful,» Barrett said.

Sotomayor was more blunt, «The verbs that accompany ‘regulate’ have nothing to do with raising revenues in the form of taxes.»

The case has become one of the most closely watched of the term and has presented a novel question to the high court that Trump framed this week as «life or death.»

«Our Stock Market is consistently hitting Record Highs, and our Country has never been more respected than it is right now,» Trump wrote on Truth Social. «A big part of this is the Economic Security created by Tariffs, and the Deals that we have negotiated because of them.»

Sauer told the justices that Trump views the trade deficit and opioid epidemic as «country killing and not sustainable» and that he has chosen to address them by using the IEEPA to impose tariffs. Sauer highlighted the success of the trade agreements Trump has made with top foreign competitors, like China, because of the president’s tariff choices.

«Unwinding those agreements, [Trump] warns, would expose us to ruthless trade retaliation by far more aggressive countries and drive America from strength to failure with ruinous economic and national security consequences,» Sauer said.

Sauer argued the emergency law gives the president the power to regulate importation and that «the power to tariff is a core application of that,» even if not explicitly stated in the law.

Multiple lower courts struck down the IEEPA-based tariffs implemented by Trump.  (Getty Images)

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In addition to the liberal justices and Barrett, other Republican-appointed justices conveyed skepticism, including Chief Justice John Roberts, who questioned how far presidential emergency powers go under the law.

«The exercise of the power is to impose tariffs, and the statute doesn’t use the word tariffs,» Roberts said.

El ejército israelí dijo el miércoles que Hamas ha entregado restos que se cree que son de un rehén al Comité Internacional de la Cruz Roja en Gaza, el avance más reciente bajo el alto el fuego negociado por Estados Unidos.

El ejército dijo en un comunicado que los restos fueron llevados de regreso a Israel. Hasta antes del anuncio, Hamas había devuelto los restos de 21 rehenes a Israel bajo los términos del alto el fuego que comenzó el 10 de octubre. De confirmarse que se trata de un rehén tras las pruebas forenses, quedarían los restos de otros seis en Gaza.

El anuncio se produjo después de que las operaciones de búsqueda en el barrio de Shijaiya de Ciudad de Gaza descubrieran los restos. Se vio una excavadora con una bandera egipcia ondeando mientras cavaba en un área severamente destruida en Shijaiya, mientras miembros enmascarados del ala militar de Hamás, las Brigadas Qassam, custodiaban el área. También estaban presentes vehículos del Comité Internacional de la Cruz Roja.

Más tarde se vio a milicianos de Hamas dejando el área con varias bolsas en la parte trasera de una camioneta. A finales de octubre, Egipto desplegó un equipo de expertos y equipo pesado para ayudar a buscar los cuerpos de los rehenes.

Hamas ha dicho que la recuperación de cuerpos es complicada por la devastación generalizada en el enclave costero y ha devuelto de uno a tres cuerpos cada pocos días. Israel ha presionado para acelerar las devoluciones y en ciertos casos ha dicho que los restos no eran de rehenes.

Más temprano en el día, Israel devolvió los cuerpos de 15 palestinos más, un día después de que milicianos en Gaza devolvieran el cuerpo de Itay Chen, un soldado israelí muerto en el ataque del 7 de octubre de 2023 que desencadenó la campaña de 2 años de Israel en Gaza. Hasta ahora, Israel ha entregado 285 cuerpos, según la Cruz Roja, la encargada de los intercambios.

Bajo el acuerdo de alto el fuego, Hamas devolvió 20 rehenes vivos a Israel el 13 de octubre. El intercambio adicional de cadáveres es el componente central de la fase inicial del acuerdo negociado por Estados Unidos, que requiere que Hamás devuelva todos los restos de rehenes lo más rápido posible. Los intercambios han continuado a pesar de las acusaciones mutuas de Israel y Hamás de violaciones en otros términos del acuerdo.

Funcionarios israelíes han denunciado partes del proceso como una violación del acuerdo, acusando a Hamas de entregar restos incompletos en algunos casos y de escenificar el descubrimiento de cuerpos en otros.

Hamas ha acusado a Israel de abrir fuego contra civiles y de restringir el flujo de ayuda humanitaria al territorio. El número de víctimas ha disminuido desde que el alto el fuego entró en vigor, pero funcionarios en Gaza han continuado reportando muertes por ataques, mientras que Israel ha dicho que también han muerto soldados en ataques de milicianos.

Funcionarios de salud en Gaza han dicho que identificar los restos entregados por Israel es complicado debido a la falta de kits de pruebas de ADN. Israel no ha revelado cuántos cuerpos retiene o dónde fueron recuperados, pero ha estado entregando 15 cada vez que los restos de un rehén israelí son devueltos desde Gaza.

El acuerdo de alto el fuego no avanzará a fases posteriores hasta que todos los restos de los rehenes israelíes sean devueltos.

Las siguientes partes del plan de 20 puntos llaman a la creación de una fuerza internacional de estabilización. Su composición no se ha concretado, pero los diplomáticos trabajan para definir su papel, persuadir a los países árabes para que participen y obtener un apoyo internacional más amplio.

“Lo que creemos es que cualquier entidad que se cree en Gaza debería tener la legitimidad de un mandato del Consejo de Seguridad”, dijo el secretario general de la ONU, António Guterres, a los periodistas en Doha el martes.

El frágil acuerdo tiene como objetivo reducir la guerra desencadenada por el ataque liderado por Hamás en el sur de Israel que mató a unas 1.200 personas y vio a 251 tomadas como rehenes.

Israel respondió con una ofensiva militar a gran escala que ha matado a más de 68.800 palestinos en Gaza, según el Ministerio de Salud de Gaza. El ministerio, parte del gobierno dirigido por Hamas y compuesto por profesionales médicos, mantiene registros detallados que son considerados generalmente confiables por expertos independientes.

Israel, que ha negado las acusaciones de un comité de investigación de la ONU y otros sobre que comete genocidio en Gaza, ha disputado las cifras del ministerio sin proporcionar un conteo alternativo.

Zohran Mamdani’s historic win as New York City’s first Muslim mayor has sparked global reactions — from pride in Uganda to anxiety in Israel, to jubilation among leftists in Europe, and even praise from an Iranian lawmaker and a Hamas social media channel.

The 34-year-old Democratic Socialist, born in Uganda to Indian parents, has become a symbol of a new, intersectional left — and a flashpoint for debates over socialism, Israel and U.S. foreign policy. 

Uganda

In Uganda’s capital of Kampala, Ugandans told Fox News Digital that Zohran Mamdani’s victory as New York City’s first Muslim mayor «felt like a homegrown win.» Although his family left Uganda when he was an infant, many in the East African nation say they view him as one of their own — proof that Ugandans and immigrants alike can rise to global leadership.

Siraje Kifamba Nsamba, a social worker at Uganda’s Islamic Center for Education and Research, said Mamdani «has made history for Uganda.»

MAMDANI TAKES COMMANDING 22-POINT LEAD OVER CUOMO IN NEW POLL

«He did not hide his identity as Ugandan by birth,» Nsamba said. «Against all odds, he broke every record. He showed the world that you can come from here and lead anywhere.»

Nsamba added that Mamdani’s campaign — built on promises of rent freezes, free public transit, and affordable living — resonated not only with struggling New Yorkers but also with Ugandans who saw in him an example of immigrant success.

«It motivates so many young people here,» he said. «He’s an example that you can come from home and become a leader in any field.»

Another Ugandan citizen said: «I want to cry out load because we lost such a great leader to New York. We’ve missed out because we believe in a system where there is a classless society where rich work for the poor… New York, I want to tell you there are more Mamdani here in Kampala, more for you».

A Kampala rapper and local politician echoed that pride, calling Mamdani’s victory «a triumph for artists, dreamers, and immigrants.» Tom Mayanja, a musician known by his stage name The Myth UG, recalled interviewing Mamdani years ago and remembering him as «focused, witty, and deliberate.»

MAMDANI RIPPED BY RIVALS FOR UNPOPULAR STANCE DURING FIERY NYC DEBATE: ‘YOU WON’T SUPPORT ISRAEL’

Supporters of New York City Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani celebrate during an election night event at the Brooklyn Paramount Theater in Brooklyn, New York on November 4, 2025.  (Angelina Katsanis/AFP via Getty Images)

Elsewhere, global reactions to Mamdani’s win were mixed, reflecting both admiration and alarm.

Middle East

Jusoor News, a pan-Arab media outlet, shared content from Hamas-affiliated Telegram channels hailing Mamdani’s win as «a moral victory for humanitarian politics.»

The Hamas-linked channel Kol al-Hakika described Mamdani as «a supporter of Hamas and a hater of Israel,» claiming «everyone is cheering after the great winning of Mamdani.» Other terrorist-affiliated accounts framed the result as «a change in Western power structures.»

SOCIALIST SHOCKWAVE: ZOHRAN MAMDANI STUNS NYC AS VOTERS HAND POWER TO DEMOCRATS’ FAR-LEFT FLANK

Socialist Zohran Mamdani won his New York City mayoral race, beating former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa. (Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images)

In Israel, reactions were far more severe. Amichai Chikli, Israel’s Minister of Diaspora Affairs, said New York «handed over its keys to a supporter of Hamas,» warning that «New York will no longer be the same, especially for its Jewish community,» and urging Jewish New Yorkers to move to Israel.

Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said that Mamdani’s election «will be remembered forever as a moment when antisemitism triumphed over common sense,» calling him «a supporter of Hamas» and «a hater of Israel.»

In Iran, lawmaker Abolqasem Jarareh told Iran International that Mamdani’s win was «a sign of the strength of the slogan ‘Death to Israel.’»

Europe

In the U.K., London’s Mayor Sadiq Khan congratulated Mamdani on X stating, «New Yorkers faced a clear choice – between hope and fear – and just like we’ve seen in London – hope won.»

Former Labour Party leader and hard-left politician Jeremy Corbyn, who has been embroiled in accusations of antisemitism and who volunteered for Mamdani’s campaign, wrote, «This is a seismic victory — not only for the people of New York, but for all those who believe that humanity and hope can prevail.»

French MEP Manon Aubry, co-chair of the Left bloc in the European Parliament, called the victory «a huge breath of hope in the world of Trump.»

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and New York City Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani hold hands during the town hall «Fighting Oligarchy» event at Brooklyn College on Sept. 6, 2025.  (Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images)

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«He overcame the media, economic, and political establishment that spent tens of millions of dollars to block his path,» Aubry wrote, praising his refusal to «turn a blind eye to racism and Gaza,» she wrote.

Canada

In Canada, leader of the leftist NDP, Jagmeet Singh tweeted, «At a time when the odds feel so stacked against working-class people, the people of New York made history.»

Adriana James-Rodil contributed to this article.