Politics · United States · 3 hrs ago
US food importer challenges Trump’s 50% tariffs on Canadian goods
A US food importer is challenging Trump’s 50% tariffs on Canadian goods in the US Court of International Trade.
New Jersey-based Gellert Global Group says the duties on cheese from Canada are disrupting its business.
The tariffs followed a breakdown in US-Canada trade talks in August and were imposed under Section 338 of a 1930 US trade law.
The Liberty Justice Center, which filed the case for the company, argues that the law does not give the president power to impose such broad tariffs and import restrictions.
It also says the law requires a 30-day wait before tariffs begin, but cheese was added to the list only a week beforehand.
The lawsuit asks the court to rule the tariffs unlawful and order refunds, while a separate motion seeks to pause their collection.
The case could clarify the limits on presidential tariff powers, and the court will decide whether to grant the requested relief.
A US food importer has sued to challenge President Donald Trump’s 50% tariffs on some Canadian goods.
Gellert Global Group filed the case in the US Court of International Trade through the Liberty Justice Center.
The lawsuit argues that Trump exceeded his authority under Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930 and that the tariffs are unlawful.
It asks the court to block the tariffs and order refunds, with interest, for duties already paid.
The White House had not immediately responded to CNBC’s request for comment, and told the BBC it had been contacted for comment.
- Who
- US food importer Gellert Global Group, represented by the Liberty Justice Center, filed the lawsuit against the Trump administration.
- What
- The lawsuit challenges 50% tariffs on some Canadian goods and seeks to block them and obtain refunds.
- When
- Filed on October 20, 2026.
- Where
- In the US Court of International Trade.
- Why
- Gellert says its Canadian cheese imports face the tariffs. The suit argues the administration exceeded its authority and did not follow the law.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Trump signed three proclamations targeting different sets of Canadian imports with Section 338 tariffs, according to CNBC.
The tariffs took effect after trade talks with Canadian officials broke down, according to CNBC.
Canada matched the US tariffs “dollar for dollar,” according to the BBC.
Gellert Global Group filed its lawsuit in the US Court of International Trade.
- Tariff rate
- 50% on some Canadian goods
- Legal provision
- Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930
- Court
- US Court of International Trade
- Plaintiff
- Gellert Global Group, a New Jersey-based food importer
- Canadian cheese imports
- $71 million in 2025
- Lawsuit filed
- October 20, 2026
3 sources
What people are saying
These tariffs disrupt those relationships overnight and create costs and uncertainty that ripple through the entire supply chain,
No president should have the power to pull a dormant statute off the shelf and use it to impose sweeping tariffs or import bans without the limits Congress required.
This case is not about the president. It is about the presidency,
The case is not an objection to tariffs as such. It asks who has the power to impose them and whether the executive branch followed the law Congress wrote,