So, you heard the big news, right? The U.S. Supreme Court just tossed out a bunch of tariffs President Donald Trump put on foreign goods. But if you're a Texan hoping for prices to crash at the store, well, don't hold your breath just yet. Experts are saying it's not going to happen quickly because there are still a ton of unanswered questions about our country's trade rules. Now, let's be clear. This isn't a total wipeout of *all* tariffs. Some, like those on aluminum, steel, and even your new couch, are sticking around. That's because they were imposed under different laws. And here's the kicker: right after the Court's ruling, Trump immediately said his administration would find other ways to bring back many of those tariffs the Supreme Court just declared illegal. Talk about adding more confusion to global trade. The Court's decision tackles about $175 billion worth of import taxes collected over the last year. You'd think that much money getting freed up would mean some price breaks for us, wouldn't you? David Quigley, an economics professor at UT Arlington, puts it this way: "There will be less upward pressure on prices, so there might be some relief in terms of prices not going down, but at least they aren’t going up like before." It's more about slowing the price increases than seeing big drops. For folks along the Gulf Coast and the Texas-Mexico border, who deal with imports daily, this ruling came out of nowhere. Jorge Torres, who runs Interlink Trade Services in McAllen, spent his Friday swamped with calls. Importers were buzzing. "When can we stop paying the tariffs? When are we going to get refunds?" he was asked. His answer? You just have to be patient. That's a tough pill to swallow when your business depends on these numbers. Here's the tricky part: the Supreme Court said Trump couldn't use the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to slap on those "reciprocal" tariffs. That's a big deal for how presidents use their emergency powers in trade. But the Court didn't say whether all those import taxes paid since last April need to be refunded. That's a massive legal and financial hanging thread. If that $175 billion *was* refunded, it would be a huge chunk of change. However, Ed Hirs, an economics professor at the University of Houston, points out that those refunds would likely go straight to the importers. And guess what? Those importers probably already passed those costs on to you, the consumer, through higher prices. So, even if the money comes back, it might not make it into your pocket. As of Friday, Texas importers were still paying those tariffs. They're all waiting for new instructions from Customs and Border Protection, which could arrive any day now. "There’s a lot of anxiety and desperation from importers wanting to stop paying the tariffs and get the refund," Torres explains. But he also warns, "By the same token, the administration is not going to cross its hands, and we might get hit from tariffs by other sections… Hopefully things will stabilize but for now we’re still going to see that uncertainty and complexity." Trump himself basically confirmed that uncertainty. He told reporters he had "great alternatives" and could even collect "more money" with new methods. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, speaking in Dallas, echoed this. He talked about using Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, a law that lets the president impose tariffs on products that are a national security threat. This is the law already used for tariffs on steel, aluminum, furniture, and car parts. So, things like couches, kitchen cabinets, canned food, and soda probably won't get cheaper because they're still under those Section 232 tariffs. Our massive oil and gas industry here in Texas will continue to feel the pinch, too, as metal tariffs drive up the cost of equipment. And then there's Trump's talk of a new executive order for a 10% "global tariff" in response to the Court's decision. That could open up a whole new legal battle. Lori Mullins, who leads the Houston Customs Brokers and Freight Forwarders Association, thinks we're in for a "bumpy ride." But she says importers are used to it after the past year. She also made a really important point about who *really* pays for tariffs: "(A tariff) is still being touted as…being collected from a foreign country," Mullins said. "These are American companies, American taxpayers, it is a tax on goods that Americans purchase. Because tariffs are paid by U.S. importers, it’s ultimately going to be felt through the economy." It's your money, not some foreign government's, that pays these taxes. That's a significant public policy impact you'll feel directly. This ruling doesn't close the book on trade policy; it just opens a new chapter of legal and economic uncertainty for Texans.