FedEx Sues US Government for Trump Tariff Refund After Supreme Court Ruling

Published: 24 February 2026
The English Chronicle Desk
The English Chronicle Online

Global logistics giant FedEx has launched a high‑stakes lawsuit against the United States government seeking the return of tariffs it paid under emergency trade measures introduced by former President Donald Trump — a legal battle that could reshape how businesses recoup costs after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the contested levies.

In its complaint filed on Monday in the U.S. Court of International Trade, FedEx is asking for a “full refund” of all duties it paid under the tariff regime that the Supreme Court invalidated last week, along with interest and compensation for financial harm it says it incurred as a result of those duties. The lawsuit names the United States, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and its commissioner as defendants.

The tariffs at issue were imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), a statutory authority that the Supreme Court found last week does not permit the president to enact broad trade levies — a decision that effectively voids the tariff measures and vindicates legal challenges by businesses and importers. However, the high court left open the question of whether the government must refund duties collected under the now‑invalid regime.

FedEx says it incurred costs not only in paying the disputed tariffs it owed as the importer of record for goods entering the United States but also in efforts to manage and expedite customs processes under a rapidly evolving regulatory environment. The company’s lawsuit contends that those costs warrant reimbursement from the federal government, although it has not publicly disclosed the total amount it seeks to recover.

The legal action is one of the highest‑profile corporate responses to the Supreme Court’s ruling and may set a precedent for other firms seeking refunds on billions of dollars in tariffs collected during the period the invalid measures were in effect. Trade attorneys expect a wave of similar refund claims from importers and manufacturers affected by the tariffs, which critics argued increased supply costs and disrupted global trade.

Industry analysts note that while the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the tariffs as unlawful, it did not outline a process for returning the substantial revenues the government collected — an issue that now falls to lower courts. FedEx’s lawsuit, and others that have already been filed by major companies including retailers and manufacturers, could drag on for years as the Court of International Trade and potentially appellate courts provide legal interpretations on how and when refunds should be issued.

The timing of FedEx’s filing follows months of disruptions attributed to the tariff regime and ongoing policy uncertainty. Corporate filings in recent earnings reports revealed that the company expected a significant negative impact on profits in 2025 tied to trade policies, underscoring the economic stakes for large importers and logistics operators.

FedEx’s legal counsel, based in Washington, D.C., is representing the company in the litigation alongside several other corporate plaintiffs pursuing similar claims. The outcome of this lawsuit could have wide implications for how importers and distributors recover tariff costs, influence future executive trade actions, and shape broader debates over the balance of executive authority, congressional power and judicial oversight in U.S. trade policy.

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