A federal judge rules President Trump cannot stop New York’s $9 congestion toll, upholding the charge aimed at reducing Manhattan gridlock and pollution.

NEW YORK: A federal judge has ruled that US President Donald Trump cannot block New York City’s congestion pricing programme.

Judge Lewis Liman of the Southern District of New York federal court made the ruling on Tuesday.

The decision allows the $9 daytime toll for motorists entering parts of Manhattan south of Central Park to continue.

The toll was introduced in January 2025 after being approved just before the Republican president’s inauguration.

Trump, a native New Yorker, argued the charge would be bad for business.

His Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy subsequently terminated approval for the pilot programme.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), which administers the toll, sued Duffy’s department in February 2025.

The lawsuit argued the push to kill congestion pricing was unlawful.

Judge Liman had already granted temporary approval for the charge to continue during the legal case.

In his ruling, he stated that accepting Duffy’s view “would permit any government agency to forever frustrate judicial review.”

Officials said around 700,000 vehicles entered the congestion zone daily when the toll began.

Gridlock meant cars travelled just seven miles per hour on average at that time.

The congestion pricing plan also aims to combat air pollution in the city.

Similar driver-tolling schemes operate in other megacities like London.

Opposition and legal challenges ahead of New York’s implementation highlighted the difficulty of such charges in a car-reliant nation.

 The Sun Malaysia