Supreme Court’s tariff decision still leaves a ‘mess’ for companies trying to grab refunds

The Supreme Court ruled in February 2026 that President Trump's emergency tariffs exceeded his legal authority, but companies seeking refunds now face a "mess" of conflicting accounting methods and litigation as Judge Richard Eaton ordered the Trump administration to begin distributing what Customs and Border Protection estimates at about $166 billion in rebates. Companies like FedEx, which tracked tariffs as line items, can more easily calculate refunds to customers, while retailers like Costco that absorbed costs through supply-chain shuffling and selective price increases face murkier claims—prompting class-action lawsuits by skeptical consumers. Some smaller firms are selling their refund rights to investment firms at deep discounts rather than fight, while Customs and Border Protection chief Brandon Lord stated the agency cannot currently comply with the refund order due to technological limitations, though he pledged an online system would be operational within 45 days of his March 6 filing.