AIIS Expects Section 232 Appeals to Reach Supreme Court

The American Institute for International Steel has appealed its case against President Trump’s Section 232 tariffs to the U.S. Court of Appeals. “This appeal is an important element of our overall legal strategy. As we noted when we started this journey nine months ago, we strongly believe that in the end this matter will be settled by the Supreme Court,” said AIIS Chairman John Foster in an email to supporters April 2 seeking donations to help cover legal costs.

AIIS, which represents steel importers and traders among others in the supply chain, lost the first step in its legal challenge of the tariffs when the U.S. Court of International Trade ruled March 25 that the Trump administration’s use of Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 is constitutional based on a decades-old Supreme Court precedent known as Algonquin. AIIS contends that Congress has abdicated its constitutional responsibility to make the laws by effectively giving the president the power to impose whatever trade barriers he chooses in the name of national security.