Frank Rondel
The United States Supreme Court has not issued a ruling on the legality of former President Donald Trump’s extensive global tariffs, leaving the next date for opinions unclear, reports customreceipt.com via The Guardian. The court had been expected to address whether Trump overstepped his authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) when imposing duties on dozens of countries, citing a national emergency, a measure typically reserved for Congress.
The high court released several other opinions on Tuesday, but the contentious tariffs, central to Trump’s economic agenda, were not among them. Observers noted that justices appeared skeptical during hearings about the administration’s justification for using IEEPA to bypass Congress in imposing the tariffs. Trump’s import duties have already faced legal challenges from states and small businesses, and two lower courts have ruled that the president lacked authority to enact them.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration’s foreign policy continues to draw criticism from international and domestic figures. Three U.S. Catholic cardinals—Blase Cupich of Chicago, Robert McElroy of Washington D.C., and Joseph Tobin of Newark, New Jersey—issued a joint statement condemning recent actions including threats to acquire Greenland, military operations in Venezuela, and cuts to humanitarian aid. They warned these moves could damage global relations and “plunge the world into incalculable suffering,” emphasizing the need for foreign policy that protects human life, religious liberty, and human dignity.
In a separate development, Trump has escalated his campaign to acquire Greenland, posting manipulated images on Truth Social showing himself planting a U.S. flag on the island, alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Senator JD Vance. Another image depicts Trump at the Resolute Desk with a map highlighting the U.S., Canada, and Greenland under American control. These posts coincided with threats of tariffs against allied nations opposing his plans. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen criticized these threats as potentially damaging to international relations and affirmed support for Denmark and Greenland.
The situation at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facilities has also drawn scrutiny. Victor Manuel Diaz, 36, from Nicaragua, was found unresponsive at the Camp East Montana detention center in El Paso, Texas, on January 14 and pronounced dead shortly after 4 p.m. ICE reported his death as a presumed suicide, though the official cause remains under investigation. Diaz had been detained during a deportation operation in Minneapolis on January 6 and was previously released on parole after entering the U.S. in March 2024. Earlier, Geraldo Lunas Campos, 55, from Cuba, died at the same facility, prompting a separate investigation.
A federal judge in Washington, D.C., Jia M. Cobb, has also upheld a new Department of Homeland Security policy requiring one week’s notice before members of Congress can visit ICE detention facilities. The policy had faced legal challenges after Congress members were blocked from inspecting facilities amid reports of poor conditions and deaths, including 32 fatalities in ICE custody in 2025. Judge Cobb ruled the lawmakers’ procedural approach was incorrect and must be revised, leaving the legality of the new visitation rules unresolved.
The Supreme Court is expected to address Hawaii’s strict gun laws on Tuesday in the case Wolford v Lopez, brought by Maui residents and a local gun rights group challenging the state’s ban on carrying firearms on private property open to the public without permission.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced there are four “fantastic candidates” for the next Federal Reserve chair, with the Trump administration expected to make an appointment possibly next week. Meanwhile, Trump is scheduled to attend the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where he will meet with allies he recently criticized and threatened with tariffs over his Greenland ambitions.
Earlier we wrote that Viktor Orban Joins Trump Peace Council as Global Leaders Including Argentina, Canada Receive Invites