NEW YORK, March 2 (Xinhua) -- A federal appeals court on Monday rejected a request by the administration of President Donald Trump to delay the start of the tariff refund process after the Supreme Court invalidated most of the tariffs in February.

File photo: AFP

"Nothing about the refund issue warrants any delay in issuing this Court's mandate, let alone a staggering three months' delay," a court filing said, adding, "the proper time to issue the mandate is now."

The mandate paves the way for the U.S. Court of International Trade to begin crafting relief measures for businesses that successfully challenged the global tariffs, local media reported Monday.

In a 6-3 ruling on Feb. 20, the Supreme Court held that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) did not grant the president authority to impose tariffs. But the ruling did not address the issue of refunds.

On Friday, the Trump administration asked the Federal Circuit to delay issuing its mandate for 90 days to allow departments concerned to consider their options.

Trump announced on April 2, 2025 that the United States had established a baseline tariff of 10 percent on practically all imported goods, along with higher rates on certain trading partners, claiming that the tariffs would generate government revenue and revitalize U.S. manufacturing.

On April 23, a coalition of 12 U.S. states sued the Trump administration over the "illegal tariffs" in the U.S. Court of International Trade in New York.

On Aug. 29, a federal appeals court upheld the lower court's ruling, saying Trump wrongfully invoked IEEPA to issue the tariffs.

In September, the Trump administration appealed to the Supreme Court to rule on the legality of the tariffs.