U.S. trade court hears challenge to Trump forced labour tariffs on 60 trading partners The U.S. Court of International Trade is hearing a challenge from four small businesses and 25 Democratic-led states to tariffs of 10 to 12.5 per cent on goods from 60 trading partners accused of failing to prevent forced labour imports. The U.S. Court of International Trade in New York is hearing a challenge on Wednesday to tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump on goods from 60 trading partners he accuses of failing to prevent imports made with forced labour. Four Businesses And States Challenge Trump TariffsThe tariffs, imposed in late July, range from 10 per cent to 12.5 per cent and cover more than 99 per cent of goods imported into the United States. They apply to goods from the European Union, China, Canada and other trading partners. Four small businesses and 25 Democratic-led states filed the challenge. They argue the tariffs far exceed the president's authority and amount to a revival of the unchecked tariff power the Supreme Court struck down in February.A panel of three judges appointed by Presidents Trump, Barack Obama and Joe Biden will hear the case. The panel is not expected to rule from the bench, but will issue a written ruling sometime after the hearing. Three lawsuits, consolidated in the U.S. Court of International Trade, argue that the new tariffs require country-specific findings about unfair trade practices to be legally justified.Rather than conducting any real investigation into forced labour, Trump is simply using forced labour as a pretext to revive his claim to an unfettered global tariff power that U.S. courts have repeatedly rejected, according to the lawsuits. The Trump administration argued in court papers that it had conducted real investigations into other nations' failure to prevent imports of goods produced with forced labour. It concluded that tariffs were warranted for each of the 60 investigated trading partners.Supreme Court Rejects Unilateral Emergency Tariff PowersTrump has made tariffs a central pillar of his foreign policy, using them as leverage to negotiate trade deals around the globe. Canadian industries face mounting pressure from U.S. tariffs and import bans as Trump predicts Canada will seek a trade deal within weeks. The Supreme Court ruled against most of Trump's widest-ranging tariffs on February 20, finding that the president cannot use emergency economic powers to unilaterally impose tariffs on all U.S. trading partners.Trump responded by immediately imposing a temporary 10 per cent global tariff under a different U.S. law. When those temporary tariffs expired, he invoked another legal authority to impose the forced labour tariffs now being challenged. Reporting by Dietrich Knauth, Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and Sanjeev Miglani.