On May 12, 1952, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in what is now probably its most important case on presidential power: Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v. Sawyer. With the Korean War raging, President Harry S. Truman had ordered the government to take over U.S. steel mills. The businesses sued and the Supreme Court had to decide, quickly, whether Truman exceeded his authority.

The justices held their conference to discuss the case a few days later. “Well, boys, the president got licked,” Justice Robert H. Jackson said to his law clerks after the meeting. On June 2 — just three weeks after oral argument — the court released its 6-3 ruling against Truman.

That lightning-fast timeline for a landmark case is striking as the country and the world await the current Supreme Court’s ruling on President Donald Trump’s global tariffs. Like Truman, Trump is citing national security to claim vast powers over private business in the United States.

But more than 12 weeks have already passed since the Nov. 5, 2025 arguments in the tariffs case. Now the court is on break, meaning a decision is unlikely for at least a few more weeks. Judging by the oral argument, Trump is the underdog in Learning Resources Inc. v. Trump. But the longer the case drags on without resolution, the less likely it is that the president got licked.

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