Indian-origin lawyer Neal Katyal, who successfully argued against US President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs before the Supreme Court, said the decisive ruling- including votes from two Trump-appointed justices- stood out in a deeply polarised legal era.
“Oftentimes in these high profile cases, there are 5 to 4. But this one was 6 to 3. And notably with two of President Trump’s three appointees voting against him," Katyal told CNN in an interview.
Katyal, a former Acting Solicitor General who represented small businesses challenging the tariffs, said the administration’s legal approach ultimately undermined its case.
Read more:‘Adjustment Process Begins’: Trump Announces New 10% Global Tariff After Supreme Court Ruling
“Acting in a constitutional way instead of this ridiculous ‘I am the president I can do whatever I want’ stuff," he said, when asked what could have been different.
He added, “It is really hard to win a case against the US President in the Supreme Court but we managed to do that because the President took such an extreme position. We only cared about one thing- Constitution."
The son of Indian immigrants, Katyal emerged as a central figure in the landmark judgment that struck down Trump’s use of the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose tariffs on imports from nearly all trading partners.
Moments after the ruling, Katyal called it a defining affirmation of constitutional limits on presidential authority.
“Today, the United States Supreme Court stood up for the rule of law, and Americans everywhere. Its message was simple: Presidents are powerful, but our Constitution is more powerful still. In America, only Congress can impose taxes on the American people," he said.
Read more:‘Embarrassment To Their Families’: Trump’s Personal Attack On Supreme Court Justices Over Tariff Ruling
Source: World News in news18.com, World Latest News, World News
