US Court of Appeals finds Trump’s tariffs an illegal use of emergency power

Donald Trump has said he will appeal against the ruling (Mark Schiefelbein/AP)

A federal appeals court ruled on Friday that US President Donald Trump had no legal right to impose sweeping tariffs on almost every country on earth, but left in place for now his effort to build a protectionist wall around the American economy.

The ruling from the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit found Mr Trump overstepped his authority under an emergency powers law, a major legal blow that largely upheld a May decision by a specialised federal trade court in New York.