The rulings against the levies in two federal courts – the U.S. Court of International Trade and the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. -- centered on Trump's unprecedented invocation of the International Economic Emergency Powers Act as a legal justification for tariffs.

Republican lawmakers do not like crossing President Trump, but they also don’t like his trade war, and several are either offering support for the courts or at least trying to stay neutral in the battle.