In a landmark 6-3 ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday invalidated most of President Donald J Trump’s IEEPA tariffs on imports, siding with family-owned educational toy company Learning Resources, Inc. and challengers. The decision upended a cornerstone of Trump’s America First economic agenda, potentially leading to hundreds of billions in refunds through litigation.
But who is the Learning Resources, Inc. and its owners, The Woldenberg Family, who took on Trump and won?
Learning Resources, located in Vernon Hills a suburb of Chicago, specializes in hands-on educational toys and tools for children, focusing on STEM subjects, coding, social-emotional learning, reading and mathematics. Products include items like Alphabet Coffee Cups, Numberblocks math sets and Botley the Coding Robot. It sells in more than 100 countries and ranks as the 25th-largest U.S. toy company by market research firm Circana.
The combined annual sales of Learning Resources and its sister company, hand2mind, exceed $250 million, with approximately 500 employees. This is a fourth-generation business with Rick Woldenberg as CEO; Stephen Woldenberg handles sales; and daughter Elana Woldenberg Ruffman is vice president of marketing.
Production largely occurs in Asia, with deep partnerships in China dating back four decades. The companies import most products from China, incurring significant tariff costs—estimated at $20-30 million in 2025, up from $2.3 million in 2024.
The net worth of the Woldenberg family associated with Learning Resources, Inc. is not publicly disclosed.
Other Woldenberg’s but it is unclear if there is an relation to The Woldenberg Family involved in the lawsuit:
- José Woldenberg: A prominent Mexican academic, sociologist, and former head of the Federal Electoral Institute (IFE), born in Monterrey to European immigrant parents.
- Malcolm Woldenberg (1896–1982): A Canadian-born billionaire businessman who moved to New Orleans and co-founded the Magnolia Marketing Company, a major liquor and wine distributor. He became a pillar of the New Orleans Jewish community and established a legacy of deep involvement in local health and education.
Author: Mario Lotmore
