The future of US president Donald Trump's proposed 'liberation day' tariffs on almost all international trading partners remains in flux after a court ruled the levies illegal, before a federal appeals court temporarily reinstated the duties while the administration appeals.
In a ruling on Wednesday (May 28th), a three-judge panel of the New York-based Court of International Trade declared that Mr Trump did not have the power to impose the tariffs by declaring a national emergency - instead holding that this authority should rest with Congress.
However, the administration immediately appealed the decision and was allowed to continue collecting tariffs while the legal process moves forward. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for June 5th.
The ruling and its temporary hold mean that the future of most of the tariffs imposed by the US, which placed a minimum ten percent levy on almost all imports, remains highly uncertain.
Commentators have noted that it could leave the status of many in-progress talks on trade uncertain. Paul Ashworth from Capital Economics, for instance, told BBC News that the decision "will obviously throw into disarray the Trump administration's push to quickly seal trade deals during the 90-day pause from tariffs".
Meanwhile, talks to undo the largest tariffs imposed by the administration on China also seem no closer to resolution. Speaking on Thursday, US treasury secretary Scott Bessant described the discussions as "a bit stalled".
He told Fox News: "Given the magnitude of the talks, given the complexity, this is going to require [leaders of both the countries] to weigh in with each other."