The decision by the US supreme court to rule that a key part of president Donald Trump’s tariffs programme was illegal is a key moment in the presidency. First a new global tariff of 10 per cent based on different legislation was announced. A key finding of the supreme court was that Trump should have sought congressional approval for his tariffs. Notably for Ireland, pharma is one of a small number of sectors which have been excluded from the new global tariffs, for fear of pushing up drug prices. As the supreme court decision showed, checks and balances do exist.

Source: The Irish Times February 22, 2026 21:05 UTC