Meet Neal Katyal, Indian-American Lawyer Who Argued Against Donald Trump’s Tariffs

VoM News Desk | February 21, 2026 | 10:00 AM IST | Breaking News, Politics, World | Follow on Google News

Meet Neal Katyal, Indian-American Lawyer Who Argued Against Donald Trump’s Tariffs

Indian-American attorney Neal Katyal has emerged as the face of a landmark ruling by the Supreme Court of the United States that struck down sweeping tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump.

Katyal challenged Trump’s use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), a 1977 law that grants the president authority to regulate commerce during national emergencies. He argued that the tariffs amounted to “unjust, unconstitutional taxes” on imports from nearly every major trading partner and exceeded presidential powers.

Moments after the verdict, Katyal called the decision a victory for constitutional principles. “Today, the United States Supreme Court stood up for the rule of law, and Americans everywhere. Its message was simple: Presidents are powerful, but our Constitution is more powerful still. In America, only Congress can impose taxes on the American people,” he said.

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The case was brought by small businesses and supported by the Liberty Justice Center. Trump had defended the tariffs as necessary for national security and economic leverage, citing trade deficits and the fentanyl crisis as national emergencies.

From Immigrant Roots to Supreme Court Advocate

Born in Chicago to Indian immigrant parents — a doctor and an engineer — Katyal has built a career around major constitutional battles. A graduate of Dartmouth College and Yale Law School, he clerked for Justice Stephen Breyer at the Supreme Court.

In 2010, he was appointed Acting Solicitor General by President Barack Obama, becoming America’s top courtroom advocate. Over the years, he has argued more than 50 cases before the Supreme Court, setting records among minority advocates.

Currently a partner at Milbank LLP and a professor at Georgetown University Law Center, Katyal specialises in constitutional and complex appellate litigation. His notable cases include defending the Voting Rights Act of 1965, challenging Trump’s 2017 travel ban, and securing major rulings in environmental and national security disputes. He also served as Special Prosecutor for Minnesota in the murder case of George Floyd and authored the book Impeach: The Case Against Donald Trump.

The Supreme Court’s ruling is expected to significantly limit a president’s ability to invoke emergency economic powers to impose broad tariffs without explicit approval from Congress, reinforcing the constitutional separation of powers.

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