Trump's latest global tariffs face trade court challenge

U.S. President Donald Trump listens to a reporters question in the Oval Office at the White House on Sept. 28, 2026 in Washington, DC. Kevin Dietsch | Getty ImagesPresident Donald Trump's near-global tariff policy is being challenged in federal court — again.A panel of three judges at the U.S. Court of International Trade in Manhattan is hearing arguments Wednesday morning from a group of small businesses and Democratic-led states who say Trump's sweeping "Section 301" tariffs overstep the law.It's the third time in less than two years that the courts have been asked to intervene against the president's attempt to impose sweeping tariffs on the vast majority of U.S. imports.The latest tariffs impose 10% or 12.5% rates on goods from 86 countries, covering 99.4% of U.S. imports. The Trump administration said they were imposed in response to the targeted countries failing to effectively enforce bans on the trade of goods produced using forced-labor practices.But an attorney for the challengers said at the start of Wednesday's hearing that a "constellation of factors" show the government's justification was a "pretext" in pursuit of reviving Trump's worldwide tariff regime."We know thi...