How Japanese Sake Put a Stop to Trump’s Crazy Tariffs

Every American should say kampai to sake for saving them thousands of dollars

Photo by Johnny on Unsplash

I was back in Japan, enjoying a cup of sake when the news hit — Trump’s “reciprocal tariffs” were toast. The Court of International Trade in New York had declared them to be illegal. Hurray!

The headlines sounded great, but important information like whether this was actually a court decision or simply a temporary restraining order is often buried in the details. So I poured myself another cup and opened up my laptop.

On May 28, in a unanimous decision of the 3 judge panel, the court struck down both the absurd reciprocal “liberation day” tariffs on 100 trading partners (including islands inhabited only by penguins) and the ridiculous tariffs on China, Canada, and Mexico ostensibly for fentanyl trafficking. The judges were scathing in their ruling that the tariffs exceeded the president’s authority and were illegal.

The court case that triggered this decision was V.O.S. Selections, Inc. v. Trump filed by Liberty Justice Center on behalf of 5 small importers, along with 12 states led by Oregon.

I’d never heard of this special court before, but the name, V.O.S. Selections, sounded familiar. Who were they? With a quick look at…