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Mar 23, 2026 - Supreme Court Strikes Down Trump Tariffs

• The Supreme Court's invalidation of Trump’s global tariffs has delivered a mixed and incomplete result for American businesses: while the ruling theoretically opened the door to over $130 billion in refunds (with more than 2,200 companies already filing lawsuits to claim them) the practical benefit has been undermined by the administration's swift imposition of new tariffs and ongoing legal challenges. Rather than restoring stability, the ruling has added another layer of uncertainty, leaving businesses unsure whether refunds will materialize, what tariff rates will apply to future shipments, and how long any current rate will last. For many importers, the Supreme Court decision has been less a resolution than a reset button that restarted the same cycle of unpredictability that has already cost some companies millions of dollars.
• US West Coast container gateways are expected to remain congestion-free in early 2026 as soft deep-sea import volumes persist, according to S&P Global. Tariff-related demand swings left West Coast imports up just 0.1% through November of last year, with cargo frontloading earlier in 2025 giving way to double-digit declines in the fall. Despite volatility, West Coast ports retained 59% of US container imports from Asia through November, unchanged year over year. Pacific deep sea carriers benefited from shorter transit times than East Coast routes, helping preserve market share. Ports handled sharp peaks - including a record 1.2 million TEUs of imports in July - without congestion due to improved forecasting and coordination across carriers, terminals, truckers, and railroads. Looking ahead, inflation, weaker consumer confidence, rising unemployment, and tariff uncertainty are expected to suppress demand into mid-2026, limiting near-term growth for deep sea shipping services on the West Coast.

• Imports to the Port of Los Angeles, the busiest US port, rebounded in June as retailers stocked up on holiday inventory in an effort to get ahead of potentially steeper tariffs later in the year. Incoming cargo to the port jumped 10% from the previous year after the US came to terms with China. It was also a 32% increase from May when imports cratered after a brief 145% import tax on Chinese goods. Shipping experts say the situation is likely as good as it will get this year since holiday orders have already been placed and manufactured and can’t be altered this late in the year. The National Retail Federation expects double-digit import declines from August through November due to additional potential tariff increases and order timing. The Trump administration plans to tariff Mexico and the EU by 30% starting August 1, sending the industry back into a scramble.
• An analysis of US ports by World Bank Group and S&P Global found only eight US ports rank in the top 100 of the world’s most efficient water entryways. The port of Charleston, South Carolina was the country’s most efficient, but still ranked at a somewhat lowly 52nd place. US port inefficiency is caused by a lack of automation in data systems and cargo equipment, resulting in longer wait times to process imports and exports. On an efficiency scale of 1 to 10, US ports scored an average of 3.7, while other nations averaged 7.9. Automation is critical to modern port operations, but such upgrades may not occur soon. The US averted a strike by the International Longshoremen’s Association in 2024 that would have crippled East Coast and Gulf ports by raising pay almost 60%, but the issue of automation was kicked down the road into 2025.