VERNON HILLS, Ill. (WLS) — In the midst of confusion regarding tariffs following a ruling by an appeals court earlier Thursday, a second federal court also decided to block the Trump administration’s tariffs, affecting a toy company based in Vernon Hills.
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 received a favorable ruling in our lawsuit,” stated Elana Ruffman, VP of marketing and product development at hand2mind. “This ruling aligns with our belief that the tariffs are unlawful.”
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 this… but the process isn’t complete yet, so we’ll have to observe how it unfolds over the next days and weeks as it goes through the appeal process,” Ruffman remarked.
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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