
Tariffs Are A Major Question - Special Guest Vikram Amar
From Amarica's Constitution by Akhil Reed Amar
February 27, 2026 · 1h 23m · Season 6 · Episode 267
About this episode
Vikram Amar discusses the Supreme Court's ruling on Trump's tariffs and the implications of the Major Questions Doctrine.
The Court has ruled Trump’s so-called reciprocal tariffs unconstitutional. Vik Amar, who offered important theories that appeared prominently in the opinion, joins us to explain the Major Questions Doctrine, why it applies to this case, and even more importantly, why it attempts to support significant structural features of the Constitution. We pay particular attention to the concurring opinion by Justice Gorsuch, which offers the most in-depth theoretical explanation for this Doctrine and attempts to lay a foundation for its future use. Meanwhile, the significance of the opinion as a rebuke to Trump, and as a reassertion of the Court’s credibility, is also discussed. CLE credit is available for lawyers and judges from podcast.njsba.com.
People in this episode
Host: Akhil Reed Amar
Guest: Vikram Amar
Topics covered
- tariffs
- Major Questions Doctrine
- constitutional law
- Supreme Court
- Trump administration
- Justice Gorsuch
- legal theory
Keywords
- tariffs
- Major Questions Doctrine
- Supreme Court
- Trump
- Justice Gorsuch
- constitutional law
- legal theory
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Court, podcast.njsba.com
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