When the U.S. Supreme Court convenes on Wednesday, the man standing before the nine justices will be no stranger to high-stakes constitutional battles. Neal Katyal, the 54-year-old Indian-American lawyer who has argued more than 50 cases before the top court, will lead a challenge that could redraw the limits of presidential authority.
At the center of the storm is Donald Trump’s use of the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose sweeping tariffs. The question now before the court is whether that law truly grants the president such power, or whether, as Katyal contends, tariff and taxation decisions belong to Congress.
The case has drawn extraordinary attention — not least because Trump himself has described it as “one of the most important in the History of the Country.” The US President said he had planned to appear in person at the hearing but decided against it, explaining, “I do not want to distract from the importance of the decision.”
Trump, in his characteristically emphatic tone, warned of the stakes ahead. “It will be, in my opinion, one of the most important and consequential Decisions ever made by the United States Supreme Court,” he said on Sunday. “If we win, we will be the Richest, Most Secure Country anywhere in the World, BY FAR. If we lose, our Country could be reduced to almost Third World status — Pray to God that that doesn’t happen!”
Katyal arrives at the Supreme Court buoyed by a significant lower-court victory. As lead counsel for the Liberty Justice Center, he won a 7–4 ruling at the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, which concluded that the American President had exceeded his authority. Now, he will ask the justices to uphold that judgment.
The importance of the case is reflected in the court’s schedule: arguments have been extended to 80 minutes, longer than the usual hour. The chamber is expected to be packed, with attention from across the political spectrum and around the world.
For Katyal, this is another defining test in a career built on navigating the frontiers of constitutional power. From representing Al Gore in Bush v. Gore to challenging Trump-era travel bans, he has been at the center of many of the country’s most consequential legal battles — and, to his critics in conservative circles, a persistent adversary of Trump’s legal agenda.
Born in Chicago to Indian immigrant parents, a physician mother and engineer father, Katyal studied at Yale Law School, where he was mentored by constitutional scholar Akhil Amar. His sister, Sonia Katyal, teaches law at the University of California, Berkeley, while Amar’s brother Vikram served as dean of the University of Illinois College of Law.
Another Indian-American lawyer, Pratik Shah, head of Akin Gump’s Supreme Court and Appellate practice, is also involved in the consolidated tariff challenge. Shah represents two educational toy makers — Learning Resources and Hand2Mind — who similarly argue that the President’s tariff actions exceeded statutory limits. According to The Times of India, the right to argue before the justices was settled in Katyal’s favor by a coin toss.
(With inputs from ToI)
At the center of the storm is Donald Trump’s use of the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose sweeping tariffs. The question now before the court is whether that law truly grants the president such power, or whether, as Katyal contends, tariff and taxation decisions belong to Congress.
The case has drawn extraordinary attention — not least because Trump himself has described it as “one of the most important in the History of the Country.” The US President said he had planned to appear in person at the hearing but decided against it, explaining, “I do not want to distract from the importance of the decision.”
Trump, in his characteristically emphatic tone, warned of the stakes ahead. “It will be, in my opinion, one of the most important and consequential Decisions ever made by the United States Supreme Court,” he said on Sunday. “If we win, we will be the Richest, Most Secure Country anywhere in the World, BY FAR. If we lose, our Country could be reduced to almost Third World status — Pray to God that that doesn’t happen!”
Katyal arrives at the Supreme Court buoyed by a significant lower-court victory. As lead counsel for the Liberty Justice Center, he won a 7–4 ruling at the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, which concluded that the American President had exceeded his authority. Now, he will ask the justices to uphold that judgment.
The importance of the case is reflected in the court’s schedule: arguments have been extended to 80 minutes, longer than the usual hour. The chamber is expected to be packed, with attention from across the political spectrum and around the world.
For Katyal, this is another defining test in a career built on navigating the frontiers of constitutional power. From representing Al Gore in Bush v. Gore to challenging Trump-era travel bans, he has been at the center of many of the country’s most consequential legal battles — and, to his critics in conservative circles, a persistent adversary of Trump’s legal agenda.
Born in Chicago to Indian immigrant parents, a physician mother and engineer father, Katyal studied at Yale Law School, where he was mentored by constitutional scholar Akhil Amar. His sister, Sonia Katyal, teaches law at the University of California, Berkeley, while Amar’s brother Vikram served as dean of the University of Illinois College of Law.
Another Indian-American lawyer, Pratik Shah, head of Akin Gump’s Supreme Court and Appellate practice, is also involved in the consolidated tariff challenge. Shah represents two educational toy makers — Learning Resources and Hand2Mind — who similarly argue that the President’s tariff actions exceeded statutory limits. According to The Times of India, the right to argue before the justices was settled in Katyal’s favor by a coin toss.
(With inputs from ToI)
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