Summary of key points from the US Supreme Court hearing on the Trump tariff lawsuit.

1Key conservative Supreme Court justices expressed doubts about the legality of Trump's tariffs. Chief Justice John Roberts stated that these tariffs are "taxes on the American people, and that has always been the core power of Congress." Justices Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett, appointed by Trump, also raised skeptical questions and delved into the arguments of tariff opponents. 2D. John Shoul, the Acting Solicitor General of the United States, was repeatedly questioned and asked to defend his argument that the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act gives Trump the authority to impose tariffs of billions of dollars monthly. 3Debate on tariff refunds and historical precedents: the potential issue of tariff refunds was brought up multiple times. Attorney Neal K katyal, representing small businesses who filed the lawsuit, was asked by Barrett how the refund process would work if his clients were successful. If tariffs are overturned, businesses may seek the return of billions of dollars already paid to the U.S. Treasury. 4Justice Brett Kavanaugh questioned Trump's claim of unprecedented tariffs, pointing out that former President Richard Nixon imposed a 10% global tax on all imported goods in the 1970s. Kavanaugh also refuted the argument that a statute must include the word "tariff" in order to grant the president the power to impose tariffs. 5Justice Sonia Sotomayor questioned the environment in which some of Trump's recent tariffs were implemented, highlighting many of the arguments made by the plaintiffs that the president's actions undermined his claim that the tariffs were in response to a national emergency. She stated, "The president threatened to impose a 10% tax on Canada because they aired an ad about tariffs during the World Series. He also imposed a 40% tax on Brazil because the country's Supreme Court allowed the criminal prosecution of a former president." 6The Supreme Court of the United States may announce its ruling in December.