By Trendsetter Tribune 
CHICAGO — Following the Supreme Court’s 6–3 decision to strike down President Trump’s sweeping global tariffs, Rick Woldenberg, the CEO of the Illinois-based educational toy company Learning Resources Inc., hailed the ruling as a restoration of the constitutional balance of power. Woldenberg’s company was the lead plaintiff in the case that effectively dismantled the administration’s “Liberation Day” trade policy.
In a series of interviews shortly after the ruling was released on Friday, February 20, 2026, Woldenberg characterized the legal battle not as a political crusade, but as a fight for the survival of small businesses.
“The Constitution Won Today”
Speaking to Reuters from his office in Vernon Hills, Illinois, Woldenberg expressed a sense of relief for the thousands of American importers who faced “asphyxiating” costs under the IEEPA-authorized tariffs.
- On Constitutional Authority: “My hope is that this ruling is an opportunity for everyone to take a breath and think about what is important and what needs to get done,” Woldenberg said. “The Court affirmed that the power to tax belongs to the people’s representatives in Congress, not to any one person in the White House.”
- On Financial Survival: Woldenberg revealed that Learning Resources—which employs about 500 people—had paid between $5 million and $10 million in tariffs over the last year. He noted that the tax rate had become so high it forced the company to “shrink operations” and shift a third of its staff to purely tariff-related compliance.
The “Long Shot” That Succeeded
The case, Learning Resources Inc. v. Trump, was initially viewed by many legal analysts as a long shot when it was filed in April 2025.
| Milestone | Action |
| The Filing | Learning Resources sued just weeks after the “Liberation Day” tariffs were announced, arguing the 1977 IEEPA law did not grant the President the power to tax. |
| The “Asphyxiation” Argument | Woldenberg famously told CBS News in 2025 that the 44-fold increase in tariff costs was “catastrophic” for his family-owned business. |
| The District Win | A federal judge in D.C. sided with the company in May 2025, a ruling the Supreme Court has now ultimately upheld. |
The Quest for Refunds: “They Owe Us Money”
While the Supreme Court invalidated the tariffs, it did not provide a specific roadmap for how the $175 billion to $200 billion in collected revenue will be returned to businesses. Woldenberg was blunt about his expectations for the next phase of the legal process.
“It’s about taxes. They owe us money… I don’t really think it will be that difficult to figure out what they took from us unlawfully. I can circle the numbers on a piece of paper and send it to them.” — Rick Woldenberg, Feb 20, 2026
A Message to Fellow Business Leaders
Woldenberg’s public stance stood in stark contrast to many Fortune 500 CEOs who preferred to lobby the White House privately. He told reporters on Friday that he “decided he would have a lot harder time dealing with not acting than acting.” He emphasized that while he had donated to the Kamala Harris campaign in 2024, his lawsuit was a matter of statutory interpretation, not partisan politics.