VERNON HILLS, Ill. (WLS) — Amid the confusion over tariffs after an appeals court ruled in one case, earlier Thursday, a second federal court also ruled to block the Trump’s administration’s tariffs, with the decision impacting a Vernon Hills toy company.
However, the government has already appealed.
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It was a momentary win for a pair of sister companies in Vernon Hills Thursday.
“Today, we had a ruling in our favor on the lawsuit,” said Elana Ruffman, VP of marketing and product development at hand2mind. “The ruling supported our opinion that the tariffs are illegal.”
The temporary triumph came after a federal judge blocked the Trump administration from collecting tariffs from Learning Resources and hand2mind.
“It’s encouraging to see that… but it’s not done yet, so we’ll have to see how it plays out over the coming days and weeks, as it gets through the appeal process,” Ruffman said.
The Trump administration already issued an appeal after U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras said in an order the International Emergency Economic Powers Act does not give the president the power to impose most of his recent tariffs.
It’s a case that is escalating towards the U.S. Supreme Court.
Our products are mission driven. They’re used to educate kids… The sad part about this is, if the products become less available or they become more expensive, then it’s the kids who suffer.
Elana Ruffman, hand2mind VP of marketing and product development
Ruffman said they are ready to see this legal battle through.
“We wanted to do something,” Ruffman said. “We believe in ourselves, we believe in our company, and most importantly, we want to stand up for employees.”
The family-owned educational toy companies currently employs about 500 people.
“We have a responsibility to those employees, to stand up for them and to make sure that their jobs are safe,” Ruffman said.
Ruffman said they also have a responsibility to the children they serve.
“Our products are mission driven. They’re used to educate kids. They’re very intentional,” Ruffman said. “The sad part about this is, if the products become less available or they become more expensive, then it’s the kids who suffer.”
Adding to the confusion around tariffs, this is just one of many lawsuits challenging the Trump administration’s economic policy, in a fight that could quickly play out in front of the Supreme Court.
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