Behind the monumental court ruling that blocked most of US President Donald Trump’s tariffs is a small wine company run by a father-and-daughter duo.
VOS Selections – a small, New York-based wine company – was the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit which prompted a three-judge panel at the US Court of International Trade to strike down Trump’s sweeping global tariffs on Wednesday.
The decision found Trump overstepped his authority by invoking emergency economic powers to impose sweeping tariffs on China, Canada, Mexico and other US trading partners.
VOS founder Victor Schwartz never intended to be at the forefront of the resistance to US government policy.
“Put it this way: when I started VOS 40 years ago I had no idea that I was signing up for something like this, getting involved in a lawsuit against the executive branch of the United States,” Schwartz, who runs the business alongside his daughter Chloe, told CNN.
“I just wanted to bring in these delicious wines from interesting appellations across the world and sell those wines to a like-minded community.”
Schwartz was in the middle of cooking a pasta dinner Wednesday when he received an email from his lawyers telling him they had won. His first reaction? Disbelief. Then, his phone started ringing off the hook with media requests and messages of congratulations.
The Trump administration immediately launched an appeal against the ruling, which could make it all the way to the Supreme Court. If it survives the challenge, the ruling would put an end to almost all of Trump’s tariffs, and cut into his leverage when negotiating trade deals with other countries. Tariffs on autos, auto parts, steel and aluminum will continue because they were enacted under a different law.
White House spokesperson Kush Desai said in a statement that “it is not for unelected judges to decide how to properly address a national emergency.”
The Trump administration’s tariffs have been particularly painful for small businesses, which have had to weather surging prices and constantly shifting trade policies without the level of cash flow that larger companies can dip into.
Schwartz said his business, which imports wine, sake and spirits from small-batch producers in countries including France, Lebanon and Japan, was hurt by Trump’s tariffs during the president’s first term.
“We’re not a big company. We can’t just ride out the storm,” Schwartz said.
This time around, when Trump announced unprecedented global tariffs on almost all US trading partners, Schwartz knew he had to fight back.
“Something like this is a complete monkey wrench in your business,” he said, describing the tariffs as an “existential threat.”
Schwartz was put in touch with lawyers at the libertarian advocacy group Liberty Justice Center, which filed the lawsuit on behalf of VOS and four other small businesses, including a women’s cycling apparel company and an online fishing tackle shop.
After some reflection and discussion with his family, Schwartz agreed to be the lead plaintiff in the case, the outcome of which will have implications for consumers and businesses around the world.
Jeffrey Schwab, lead attorney for the Liberty Justice Center, told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins “this is a very important case,” not just because of its economic impact, but “because of the tremendous power grab that the administration is claiming here.”
Schwartz said he is confident in his lawsuit and plans to see it all the way through to the Supreme Court, if necessary. He said the latest ruling is a win for small businesses everywhere.
“We knocked back the tariffs. It’s going to change the whole game plan,” he said, clearly elated.
As one would expect, Schwartz plans to celebrate with a nice bottle of wine.
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