American Heroes: Beating Illegal Tariffs with Eva St. Clair and Rebecca Melsky
An episode of American Heroes with Kathy Hoekstra you won’t want to miss!
After the blockbuster Supreme Court ruling that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act does not authorize the president to impose sweeping tariffs, Kathy sits down with Eva St. Clair and Rebecca Melsky, co-founders of Princess Awesome & Boy Wonder, two business partner-entrepreneurs and PLF clients whose courage in joining Princess Awesome & Stonemaier Games v. Customs helped make that victory possible.
For Eva and Rebecca, this wasn’t just a constitutional debate—it was personal.
As Eva explains, their company was built on a simple but powerful idea:
“It turns out there are thousands and thousands of people who have children—or who are children at heart—who love dinosaurs, trucks, trains, dragons of all kinds on their clothing… We wake up every day and make clothes that reflect the things that they love.”
But when escalating tariffs hit their carefully diversified global supply chain, the impact was immediate and destabilizing. Rebecca put it bluntly:
“We don’t know—or we haven’t known—how much our products were going to cost when they come to shore. That is not a way to run a business… It’s insane. And it’s impossible to plan.”
In 2025 alone, they paid $30,000 in additional tariffs—with more than $100,000 projected for the year ahead.
Then came the decision.
When the Court ruled 6–3 to reaffirm that Congress—not the president—holds the taxing power, the reaction was unforgettable. Rebecca screamed, and Eva said:
“Hooray! It was incredible news and so vindicating… To read the things that we had written put into the decision was amazing.”
The ruling may not end every tariff fight, but for small businesses like theirs, it was—in their words—a lifeline. And they’re not done yet, says Eva, with an eye toward refunds:
“We will go after it on principle. We are so mad that they stole our money. I want my money back… Give it back now.”
This episode goes far beyond trade policy. It’s about courage, constitutional limits, and what happens when small-business owners stand up for the separation of powers.
Stay tuned—the next chapter starts now.
American Heroes with Kathy Hoekstra is a monthly radio report from Pacific Legal Foundation, airing on American Radio Journal. Each episode defends liberty, empowers individuals, and celebrates the heroes who stand up for what’s right.
In case you missed any of the previous episodes of American Heroes:
