Tim Meyer, an international trade expert who directs the International Legal Studies Program at Vanderbilt Law School, has filed an amicus brief on behalf of five senators, including Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Mike Crapo of Idaho, Mike Lee of Utah, Ben Sasse of Nebraska and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, in support of the plaintiffs in Transpacific Steel v. U.S.
The case involves a challenge to President Donald Trump’s decision to double national security tariffs on steel imports from Turkey, and the brief urges the Supreme Court to “grant certiori and reverse the judgment” of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, which sustained the tariffs as lawful. Meyer is representing the senators as their counsel of record.
“President Trump imposed the additional tariffs months after the time limits specified in the law purportedly authorizing them had expired. The brief asks the Supreme Court fo enforce limits on congressional delegations, such as the time limits at issue in this case, as a necessary component of the separation of powers,” Meyer said.
“While Congress has delegated some of its authority to the executive branch, Amici specifically and Congress as a whole retain an interest in ensuring that the executive branch adheres to, and the courts enforce, the limits Congress places on its delegations,” the brief states.