§2637 Exhaustion of Administrative Remedies

Summary

You can only sue in the Court of International Trade over a denied protest under section 515 of the Tariff Act of 1930 if all final duties, charges, or fees have been paid when the lawsuit starts. If a bond covers those payments, the bond maker (surety) only has to pay up to the bond amount for each entry listed in the denied protest. To sue over a denied petition under section 516 of the Tariff Act of 1930, you must first use the administrative steps given in that section. For cases under section 1581(h), you may start a court case before finishing administrative steps only if you make the specific showing that section requires. For other kinds of civil cases not named above, the Court of International Trade must, when appropriate, require people to finish the administrative process before going to court.