Food Importer Challenges Trump’s 50% Canadian Tariff in Federal Court
Gellert Global Group sues the Trump administration to block 50% tariffs on Canadian goods, marking the first legal test of the 1930 Tariff Act provision.
POLICY WIRE — Washington, D.C. — A New Jersey-based food importer has launched a legal battle against the Trump administration, seeking to overturn a 50% tariff imposed on a broad spectrum of Canadian goods.
Gellert Global Group filed the lawsuit on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, in the U.S. Court of International Trade. The company, representing a proposed class of importers, argues that the duties are an unlawful expansion of executive authority.
The legal challenge centers on the administration’s use of Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930. This Depression-era statute had never been utilized by a president to impose tariffs until the current administration enacted the measures earlier this summer.
The lawsuit contends that the administration is attempting to claim an unfettered power to set tariffs, a concept the filing notes has been consistently rejected by the judiciary. The duties currently impact approximately US$20 billion in trade.
Gellert Global Group is requesting that the court block the ongoing enforcement of these tariffs. Furthermore, the company is seeking an order that would require the government to provide refunds, including interest, for all duties already collected.
Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)
