A judge at theU.S. Court of International Tradehas directed the US government to begin issuing refunds for tariffs that were previously ruled illegal by theUS Supreme Court. JudgeRichard EatonorderedCustoms and Border Protection (CBP)to finalise the cost of millions of import shipments without applying the disputed tariff, which will automatically trigger refunds with interest to importers.

The ruling comes after the court determined that tariffs collected under theInternational Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA)were unlawful. The government had collected more than$130 billionunder these tariffs, a policy that was central toDonald Trump’strade agenda.

CBP had argued in court filings that processing the refunds could be extremely complex because it might involve reviewingmore than 70 million import entries. The agency previously requested up to four months to determine how it could implement the refunds. However, the judge stated that the agency regularly processes similar adjustments and should be able to update its system to issue reimbursements.

The order arose from a lawsuit filed byAtmus Filtration Technologies, which claimed it paid around$11 millionin unlawful tariffs. The case is one of nearly2,000 lawsuitsfiled by companies seeking refunds. According to legal experts, the court’s language suggests a broad ruling that could entitle all affected importers to refunds.

More than300,000 importers, many of them small businesses, paid the tariffs and are now waiting to see how quickly the government can process reimbursements. The court has scheduled another hearing to review the progress of the refund plan.