A little-known New York wine merchant who took on Donald Trump’s tariffs in the Supreme Court is celebrating his win by popping open a bottle of red.
Victor Schwartz, 67, became the face of the battle to strike down the president’s controversial tariffs when he sued the government last April.
Schwartz has owned VOS Selections in Manhattan since 1987 and feared the tariffs would devastate his small business.
He argued that the US President lacked the authority to impose tariffs without congressional approval, becoming one of the few dissenting corporate voices to publicly oppose the fees.
On Friday, the US Supreme Court ruled in Schwartz’s favor and rebuked Trump’s policy.
‘It takes a little match to start the fire,’ he told CNN. ‘I’m not going to feel badly about that. I’m going to feel proud about that.’
Schwartz said that he felt like the ‘last line of defense’ when he challenged Trump’s sweeping tariffs.
‘It was one thing to join the case,’ he told the outlet. ‘But then to be the lead plaintiff really gave me pause.’
