Institutions still reign in Trump's America
The US Supreme Court reasserts its power by blocking Trump's tariffs.
Most news out of Washington swings between grim and absurd these days, even before the United States launched its massive military operation against Iran.
From Australia, the spectacle is often theatrical - executive orders, tariff threats, diplomatic ruptures, escalating rhetoric. It's gripping. It's chaotic. We are transfixed by the drama. But for all the entertainment value, a serious question remains: is the United States still governed by institutions, or has it become an extension of one man's will?
Against that backdrop, the recent US Supreme Court decision striking down the Trump administration's use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose sweeping tariffs deserves even more attention than it has received. Yes, tariffs carry real economic costs, not to mention the business uncertainty, but this is not fundamentally a story about trade. It is a story about power.
