A federal judge ordered the U.
S. government to begin the process of reimbursing importers for billions of dollars in damages after the Supreme Court ruled the imposition of duties in certain countries illegal, according to court documents.
This order marks a victory at the first stage for importers, as they undergo an unprecedented refund process[url=https://core./#platts/NewsArticle?articleId=71bce0f2-7d8c-4c3c-ab3b-4f2bef820f87].
Judge Richard Eaton of the U.
S. Court of International Trade instructed the U.
S. Customs and Border Protection to complete imports without applying tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, which U.
S. President Donald Trump invoked to impose global tariffs. The Supreme Court judges said in their decision that Trump had exceeded presidential authority and determined that the president could not rely on emergency powers to impose tariffs.
Eaton also ordered the US Customs to review all applications that had previously been processed in order to cancel the tariffs, which led to a refund.
"Customs knows how to do this," Eaton said during a court hearing on March 4. "And processes have already been launched to eliminate imported goods and issue refunds."
The decision was made a week after the federal appeals court on March 2 rejected the US Department of Justice's request to delay the start of the refund process. The court's decision allowed the Court of International Trade to begin determining the mechanism of compensation.
Importers have filed more than 2,000 lawsuits with CIT. The number of applications submitted subject to IEEPA tariffs exceeded 71 million between February 2025 and February 2026, the U.
S. Customs Office said in a court filing.
According to an analysis of customs and border control data conducted by the Yale University Budget Laboratory, in 2025, the United States collected $142 billion in duties in accordance with IEEPA tariffs.
Importers of pig iron and iron ore will receive refunds, although other metals and energy carriers have been exempted from different rates depending on the specific country. Importers of some agricultural products paid duties to IEEPA until November 2025, when Trump canceled many of them after concluding trade agreements with more than a dozen countries.
Eaton scheduled another hearing for March 6, 2026, requesting an update from customs on refund plans. It is possible that the Trump administration may challenge the court's decision.
Author: Rachel Luker