US tariffs have seen another major overhaul after the Supreme Court ruled that many of Trump's imposed tariffs from last year were illegal. The ruling was made on February 20, and within 24 hours, Trump had imposed a new 10% tariff on all US imports - which then rose to 15% on Saturday. These new tariffs are set to take effect on February 24, spelling a new era of uncertainty for affected board game manufacturers.
A 6-3 ruling by the Supreme Court decided that Trump's use of the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to instate tariffs last year was illegal. This represents about half of all US import taxes, and it primarily pauses Trump's 'liberation day' taxes against countries with a notable trade deficit.
I say 'pause' rather than 'stop', because the Trump administration is already seeking alternative ways to impose tariffs on said countries. The new 15% global tariff has instead been called into effect by Section 122 of the 1974 Trade Act. The act, which has never before been used, allows Trump to impose the 15% levy for 150 days, after which the administration must seek congressional approval. During that time, the Trump administration has vowed to investigate new, legal ways to impose further tariffs.
Still, for board game creators, the Supreme Court Ruling offers a glimpse of hope. Unlawful tariffs have been cancelled, and for many, the temporary global tariff is significantly smaller than those previously being paid.
Take, for example, Stonemaier Games, publisher behind many of the best board games in the modern hobby. In early February, owner Jamey Stegmaier told me that his company was facing a 20% tax on Chinese imports and a 50% tax on imports from Brazil - the country that Stonemaier's production partner Panda had recently begun working with on manufacturing games like Wyrmspan.
Stegmaier previously told me that the Stonemaier team had become "somewhat numb" to tariff news, though "we lost a lot of sleep early on when we saw the extent of the President's unchecked power". However, in a post from February 23, Stegmaier describes the "huge sense of relief" inspired by the Supreme Court ruling.
"In the immediate future, I don't think we'll see much of an impact on prices", he says, "as anything in stock in the US already had its tariff tax paid when it entered the country (if it was manufactured elsewhere)". "My perception is that many businesses avoided raising prices and instead just ate the extra costs."
So far, Stonemaier has paid almost $300,000 in tariff taxes. Discussion around refunds is ongoing after the Supreme Court ruling, but Stegmaier says "I'm not counting on getting any of that back". The Supreme Court has not provided any instruction on refunds, and many key figures in US politics have said they expect the process to be long-winded and complex. President Trump told reporters he expected refunds to be locked up in litigation for years.
While the current impact of tariffs seems minimal (at least, compared with the 145% tariffs China faced at one point), the rollercoaster ride of tariff taxes has seriously hurt the board game industry. CMON at one point froze production of all new board games in response to tariffs, and part of the company's serious financial problems could be attributed to tariff hikes. Final Frontier Games and Greater Than Games announced their closure in April 2025 due to the impact of tariffs. Stonemaier, too, is still involved in an ongoing attempt to sue the President over the tariff changes.
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