On May 28, a U.S. court ruled that certain tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) were not legally valid. This has raised a lot of questions across the logistics and trade community and we want to break it down simply for you.
Here’s what’s happened so far:
A federal trade court (CIT) said the IEEPA tariffs were unlawful and ordered them to be canceled within 10 days.
The U.S. government quickly appealed and asked for more time to pause that cancellation.
Another court granted the government’s request to temporarily keep the tariffs in place while the appeals process moves forward.
A separate district court also ruled on the issue but said the decision only applies to two specific importers for now, not everyone.
What does this mean for you?
1. Tariffs are still being charged [ for now ] Although the court ruled the tariffs should be revoked, they’re still active while the appeals process plays out.
2. Refunds may be possible [ eventually ] If the courts confirm that these tariffs were invalid, businesses may be eligible to get refunds on what they paid. But this likely won’t happen until late 2026 or even 2027.
3. Keep track of your entries. If you paid IEEPA-related tariffs, now is the time to start organizing your records. You’ll need to know:
When each shipment is set to “liquidate” (finalized by customs)
The deadline to file a protest (usually 180 days after liquidation)
This will help you act quickly if refunds become available.
What you should do next:
Monitor your entries that include IEEPA-related duties.
Stay ready to either submit corrections (if not yet finalized) or file protests (if they are).
Stay informed, we’ll continue tracking this closely and will share updates as they develop.
At EP Logistics, we know that staying compliant with changing trade policies is critical to keeping your supply chain running smoothly. Have questions or need help navigating this? Reach out, we’re here to support you. sales@eplogistics.com