Yes the Supreme Court Saved Us From Higher Prices, But There's No Guarantee It Will Save Our Democracy

Constitutional law professor Kim Wehle cautions that while the Court's tariff victory was a clear win for the rule of law, it's not a reset from the conservatives and we can't get complacent.

Trump shakes hands with Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts before giving his State of the Union address. Photo by Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

Last week’s Supreme Court decision is a clear win for the rule of law. In a rare and pointed rebuke of Donald Trump’s sweeping overreach, six justices shut down what Chief Justice John Roberts called “tariffs of unlimited amount and duration, on any product from any country.”

But let’s not lose our heads. Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump is a check – but not a constitutional reset. Nothing in the ruling suggests that the Trump-aligned majority has had a sudden conversion to muscular judicial oversight.

Three realities are worth keeping in mind:

1. The case should have been open and shut, but it was not unanimous.