U.S. judge holds closed-door meeting on Friday to establish Trump tariff refund process

Odaily Planet Daily reports that a U.S. judge will meet privately with government lawyers on Friday to develop a process for refunding up to $175 billion in illegal tariffs. The judge called this meeting a “settlement conference.” U.S. International Trade Court Judge Richard Eaton will meet with lawyers representing the Customs agency, which is responsible for refunding over 300,000 importers who paid tariffs ruled unconstitutional. Government lawyers have stated that the process to refund Trump’s tariffs is unprecedented in scale, requiring manual review of tens of millions of tariff payments. Although U.S. courts are usually open to the public, judges sometimes hold private discussions with parties about schedules or sensitive information. Court schedules show that Friday’s meeting is a “closed-door session.” The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on February 20 that Trump exceeded his authority, with most tariffs deemed unconstitutional, disrupting a key part of his economic policy.