What is the Court of International Trade? And why can it strike down Trump’s tariffs? [Video]

A little-known federal court threw a giant monkey wrench into a foundational part of President Donald Trump’s economic agenda by striking down most of the sweeping tariffs he has imposed since taking office.The Court of International Trade, based in New York, on Wednesday said that Trump had overstepped his authority by using a 1977 law, the International Economic Emergency Powers Act, to justify tariffs on Canada, Mexico, China and more than 50 other nations.So what is the Court of International Trade? And how can it wield such power?The CIT is a specialized federal court that typically considers disputes over customs duties and trade restrictions. It has evolved from an 1890 entity called the Board of General Appraisers, and was renamed the Customs Court in 1926.The CIT typically deals with highly-technical cases that are rarely as high-profile as this case. It handles trade-related disputes from all over the country.Nine judges sit …