Trump’s tariffs were struck down. Georgia businesses wonder what’s next.

The import taxes and “reciprocal” tariffs the president levied against dozens of countries were used to remake American trade deals and prod foreign investment into the U.S. Tariffs are taxes on imported goods and the business or person importing the product typically pays the tax.

Georgia is home to two of the country’s busiest seaports, the world’s busiest airport and 16 Fortune 500 companies clustered in the Atlanta area, which led to an outsized impact from Trump’s tariff campaign. The tariffs are estimated to have cost Georgia businesses and consumers $13 billion as of December, the fourth-most of any state, according to Trade Partnership Worldwide and small business activist coalition We Pay the Tariffs.

Credit: Courtesy of Georgia Ports Authority

Credit: Courtesy of Georgia Ports Authority

Before the Supreme Court’s ruling, the widespread tariffs were estimated to cost the average household about $1,000 last year, according to the Tax Foundation. The remaining tariffs after Friday amount to a $400 cost per household for 2026, the foundation said, though they do not account for the new import taxes Trump said he will put into place.

In a White House press briefing, President Donald Trump simultaneously called the ruling a “disgrace” and panned the justices, including two he appointed, who ruled against him. While visibly angry, he also tried to claim victory by saying dissenting justices outlined other paths he can take to implement his protectionist policies.

“Now I am going to go in a different direction,” Trump said, noting that other tariffs can be issued under presidential authority. “It’s a little bit longer process.”

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

Trump announced he would institute a 10% global tariff on all foreign trade partners under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, a provision that allows the president to impose duties for up to 150 days without congressional approval. Trump did not say whether he will ask Congress to renew or increase those tariffs beyond that span.

Trump also said he would implement investigations into trade practices by other countries that could provide justification for future trade crackdowns.

‘Significant consequences’

Brandon Eley said Friday he was feeling cautiously optimistic after the ruling. Eley is the president of LaGrange-based 2BigFeet, an online retailer and manufacturer of large shoes for men. His line of shoes, which range from size 14 to 25, are manufactured in Brazil. Manufacturing in the U.S., even with the tariffs, has not been economically viable, he has said.

Since the institution of Trump’s trade policies, Eley said he hasn’t been able to place an order in more than a year.

Friday’s ruling is changing that.

“We’re going to try to take the opportunity to get some products manufactured as quickly as we can, and hopefully we can get them in before something else is imposed,” Eley said.

The landmark ruling leaves open the question of what happens to the revenue the federal government collected via tariffs now deemed to have been illegal.

“Refunds of billions of dollars would have significant consequences for the U.S. Treasury,” Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote in his dissenting opinion. “The Court says nothing today about whether, and if so how, the Government should go about returning the billions of dollars that it has collected from importers.”

Trump indicated companies seeking refunds will be in for a long fight.

The majority of Supreme Court justices found that the Constitution “very clearly” gives Congress the power to impose taxes, which include tariffs. Chief Justice John Roberts, who wrote the majority opinion, added, “The Framers did not vest any part of the taxing power in the Executive Branch.”

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez

Eley said he will explore getting the tens of thousands of dollars he’s paid in tariffs refunded, but as a small-business owner he can’t afford to sue the government.

“I’m not holding my breath on that, but just being able to make shoes and kind of restock a lot of the sizes that have been sold out to get some products in for our customers is going to be a really good thing,” he said. “It’s a risk that I’m willing to take right now and hope that things work out well.”

Mary Moore, founder and CEO of The Cook’s Warehouse in Atlanta, said she isn’t expecting any refund as a result of the Supreme Court decision and she is wary what might come next.

“My guess is in anticipation of this he’s already working on something else to do instead,” Moore said in an email, referring to Trump. “I will continue to keep my eyes wide open for what could be next and think strategically about how to best serve our customers and protect our business.”

‘We’re all doing calculus’

Raphael Bostic, outgoing president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, learned about the Supreme Court ruling while on stage Friday at an event with the Birmingham Business Journal. Immediately, questions came to his mind about what the decision could mean for business owners and the economy.

“One, is there a requirement to pay back the firms that have paid in the tariffs?” Bostic mused. “If so, that’s a lot of disruption and there will be a lot of turbulence that goes on, and I don’t know what the firms will do with that money. That’s a big question.”

He also said he wondered Trump’s next steps and how businesses will respond with supply chain decisions.

He also polled the audience, asking them to raise their hand if they thought things would go back to how they were in early February 2025, before Trump began instituting tariffs. No one raised their hands.

“That suggests that we’re all doing calculus now, trying to figure out sort of how this feeds through to our individual businesses as well as to our partners, our suppliers and then what consumers will be willing to take on,” Bostic said.

Trump had been vocal about the case, saying a ruling against him would be an economic blow to the country. In a Thursday visit to northwest Georgia, the Republican president touted his economic agenda, especially his tariff policies.

“Without tariffs, this country would be in so much trouble right now,” he said during his remarks at Coosa Steel Corp. in Rome.

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

The tariffs decision doesn’t stop Trump from imposing duties under other laws. While those have more limitations on the speed and severity of Trump’s actions, top administration officials have said they expect to keep the tariff framework in place under other authorities.

But legal opposition crossed the political spectrum, including libertarian and pro-business groups that are typically aligned with the GOP. Polling has found tariffs aren’t broadly popular with the public, amid wider voter concern about affordability.

U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, a St. Simons Island Republican who is also running for Senate, said the Supreme Court had “undercut the President’s ability to defend American workers.”

“President Donald Trump was elected to fight unfair trade and stop the United States from being ripped off,” Carter’s statement continued. “I’m outraged by this decision; it’s clearly judicial overreach.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson, another Trump ally, said the tariff policy had benefited American workers. He said Congress would work in the coming weeks to “determine the best path forward” after the Supreme Court decision.

Democrats, on the other hand, celebrated the decision and said they hoped it would lead to further restraints on the Trump Administration.

“I’m glad to see the Supreme Court has struck down Trump’s illegal tariff taxes,” U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams, D-Atlanta, wrote on X. “We will keep fighting reckless Republican policies to lower your cost of living.”

— The Associated Press contributed to this story.