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The Supreme Court struck down President Trumps sweeping tariffs on Friday, ruling that he overstepped his authority in imposing them on global imports. In a 6-3 ruling, the court wrote that Trumps actions were unprecedented, noting that Trumps attempt to use his power to unilaterally impose unbounded tariffs and change them at will overstepped the law, and that his administrations view would represent a transformative expansion of the Presidents authority over tariff policy. The ruling continued: It is also telling that in IEEPAs [International Emergency Economic Powers Act’s] half century of existence, no President has invoked the statute to impose any tariffs, let alone tariffs of this magnitude and scope. In effect, the Supreme Court ruled that, despite Trumps assertions otherwise, the President lacks the authority to impose tariffs, and that he improperly used the premise of an emergency to impose them, most of which came during Liberation Day early last year. The government had collected somewhere in the neighborhood of $230 billion in tariff revenue between January and December 2025. Critically, not all tariffs have been struck downonly the ones that Trump has imposed as an emergency under International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) tariff laws from the 1970s. Will consumers get refunds for the tariffs? Also critically, the Supreme Court did not indicate whether tariffs already paid would need to be refunded. So as it stands, its unclear whether anyone is due a refund for dues paid. It could be a messy situation in terms of sorting it all out, and it appears that many legislators are trying to get ahead of that. Several questions remain unanswered, including what happens to the revenue already collected and how the Administration may use alternative authorities to impose tariffs, said Senator John Curtis, a Republican from Utah, in a statement following the ruling. Looking ahead, it is critical that we provide the clarity and predictability businesses need. That could result in individuals and companies looking to shipping and logistics companies for guidance and refunds. A spokesperson at DHL Express Americas tells Fast Company that the company is closely monitoring the legal developments regarding IEEPA tariffs to ensure our customers are positioned to exercise their full rights under the law.” “We would play a technical role in the process, leveraging our customs brokerage technology to track filings to ensure that if refunds are authorized, our clients receive their capital back accurately and efficiently,” the DHL spokesperson added. Fast Company has also reached out to UPS and FedEx for comment as well. Additionally, businesses can try to request a refund on imports (assuming they qualify), or take legal action. For instance, they can file a formal protest with the U.S. Customers and Border Protection (CBP), or file a lawsuit in the U.S. Court of International Trade. The ruling blows a hole in Trumps economic agenda. Administration officials have said, however, that they were prepared to respond. Last month, Jamieson Greer, the United States Trade Representative, told The New York Times that the administration would start the next day to find ways to reimpose tariffs if the Supreme Court ended up striking them down. In response, the markets increased slightly; as of midday Friday, the S&P 500 was up about 0.5%. President Trump, meeting with the nations governors on Friday, called the decision a disgrace.
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A federal judge has ruled that Tesla is still required to pay $243 million over a 2019 crash involving a Tesla equipped with Autopilot, despite the companys efforts to overturn the verdict. In August 2025, a jury found Tesla liable for the death of Naibel Benavides Leon, a 22-year-old woman who was killed when George McGee, who was driving a Tesla Model S, drove through an intersection while he bent to look for his dropped phone. The crash occurred in Key Largo, Florida, in 2019. McGees vehicle, which was equipped with Teslas Autopilot technology, crashed into an SUV that was parked on the shoulder, killing Leon and injuring Dillon Angulo. I trusted the technology too much, McGee said in 2025. I believed that if the car saw something in front of it, it would provide a warning and apply the brakes. That jury assigned Tesla 33% of the fault for the collision, and awarded $200 million in punitive damages, and $43 million in compensatory damages. A courtroom first The 2025 verdict was a first from a federal jury over a fatal Autopilot accident, though there have been multiple incidents of Tesla vehicles in Autopilot mode that were involved in vehicle collisions. Soon after that case, Tesla challenged the verdict, filing a motion asking the court to throw it out, or grant a new trial. The company argued that the Model S was not defective, and that there wasnt evidence that the company failed to provide warnings or instructions concerning Autopilot. This week, however, U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom in Miami disagreed with Teslas arguments. Bloom ruled that the evidence from the 2025 trial more than supported the verdict, and that the company did not present any additional arguments. That means Tesla is on the hook for the $243 million in damages. “The grounds for relief that Tesla relies upon are virtually the same as those Tesla put forth previously during the course of trial and in their briefings on summary judgment-arguments that were already considered and rejected,” the decision said, according to MarketWatch. Fast Company reached out to Tesla for comment. Prior to the 2025 trial, Tesla had rejected a $60 million settlement offer for the case. Tesla has “indicated” that it will appeal the ruling, Electrek reports, but even if that appeal is successful, the judgement is still likely to be more than that settlement offer.
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E-Commerce
You’re stuck in traffic again, late for work, watching brake lights stretch to the horizon. According to the most recent data in the U.S. (2024), here are some of the ways traffic jams are lowering the quality of life: Americans lost an average of an entire work week sitting in traffic. Commuter costs have surged 16% over the past five years to reach $269 billion annually. Congestion time for commuters has gone up 10% since 2019 and its 19% for trucks delivering all the products we buy. Stress increases of 80%, and aggressiveness increases of 52%. Long stretches in traffic lead to back pain, leg pain, and headaches. Theres no one solution to dealing with crowds of people all trying to move in the same direction at the same time, but there is one opportunity staring us all in the face that hardly any commuter seems to noticepublic transit. {"blockType":"mv-promo-block","data":{"imageDesktopUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/12\/speakeasy-desktop.png","imageMobileUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/12\/speakeasy-mobile.png","eyebrow":"","headline":"\u003Cstrong\u003ESubscribe to Urbanism Speakeasy\u003C\/strong\u003E","dek":"Join Andy Boenau as he explores ideas that the infrastructure status quo would rather keep quiet. To learn more, visit \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/urbanismspeakeasy.com\/\u0022\u003Eurbanismspeakeasy.com.\u003C\/a\u003E","subhed":"","description":"","ctaText":"SIGN UP","ctaUrl":"http:\/\/urbanismspeakeasy.com\/","theme":{"bg":"#f5f5f5","text":"#000000","eyebrow":"#9aa2aa","subhed":"#ffffff","buttonBg":"#000000","buttonHoverBg":"#3b3f46","buttonText":"#ffffff"},"imageDesktopId":91453933,"imageMobileId":91453932,"shareable":false,"slug":""}} The power of public transit If you’re like most drivers, public transit is for other people. But here’s the thing: investing in better buses and trains could make your commute faster and less stressful, without you ever setting foot on one. Maybe transit is for other people to ride, but it can help improve your car trips. A surprisingly small drop in cars on the roadjust 5-10%can dramatically ease congestion, and public transit is one of the most effective ways to get that drop. Congestion doesnt increase linearly as the number of vehicles goes up. Streets handle car traffic just fine, until you cross a certain capacity threshold when everything quickly collapses. A transportation planning model developed in the 1960s quantifies this phenomenon. On a typical urban road running at 90% capacity: Baseline: About 10% delay over free-flow conditions 5% fewer cars (85% capacity): Delay drops by roughly 18% 10% fewer cars (81% capacity): Delay plummets by 35% Weve all experienced the exponential improvements in travel time from modest reductions in vehicle volume. If transit gives some commuters a viable alternative, your commute could save minutes each day without building a single new lane. Transit helps people who dont use transit A transportation system that offers reliable and convenient public transit isn’t forcing you out of your car. Theres only so much space on the roads, and one bus can hold 40 or 50 people, replacing that many cars. One train can replace hundreds of cars. Transit already saves Americans 865 million hours in traffic delays annually. In dense urban areas, the potential is even greater. Case study: New York New York City’s decongestion zone offers a real-world example. By charging people who choose to drive into Manhattan’s core, the city reduced traffic volumes and delivered major wins: pollution fell, streets flowed better, and spillover congestion to outer areas decreased. And the people who drive themselves benefit from less crowded roads. You might be thinking I will never use public transit, so why should I fund something I won’t use?” Whether or not you use public transit, think of it as an investment that delivers: Better travel times because fewer people are driving at the same time. Fewer crashes because fewer people are driving at the same time. Less stress on you because fewer people are driving at the same time. Transportation systems work better when people have real choices. You might always opt for driving yourself, and thats fine. But when others have practical alternatives like buses, trains, and subways, your drive is improved. Remember, if just 5-10% of people arent driving themselves, your experience on the roads can be dramatically improved. The best thing for drivers might be investing in something they’ll never personally use, and it might be the fastest way to improve quality of life. {"blockType":"mv-promo-block","data":{"imageDesktopUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/12\/speakeasy-desktop.png","imageMobileUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/12\/speakeasy-mobile.png","eyebrow":"","headline":"\u003Cstrong\u003ESubscribe to Urbanism Speakeasy\u003C\/strong\u003E","dek":"Join Andy Boenau as he explores ideas that the infrastructure status quo would rather keep quiet. To learn more, visit \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/urbanismspeakeasy.com\/\u0022\u003Eurbanismspeakeasy.com.\u003C\/a\u003E","subhed":"","description":"","ctaText":"SIGN UP","ctaUrl":"http:\/\/urbanismspeakeasy.com\/","theme":{"bg":"#f5f5f5","text":"#000000","eyebrow":"#9aa2aa","subhed":"#ffffff","buttonBg":"#000000","buttonHoverBg":"#3b3f46","buttonText":"#ffffff"},"imageDesktopId":91453933,"imageMobileId":91453932,"shareable":false,"slug":""}}
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