Don’t say federal courts never decide on anything important: The federal Court of International Trade has ruled that Snuggies are not clothing.
Seriously.
The Justice Department had been arguing that Snuggies are apparel, not blankets, so they should be subject to higher import duties than blankets are.
In his ruling, Judge Mark Barnett specifically referenced that Snuggies are marketed as “The Blanket With Sleeves!”
Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t think you need a law degree to recognize that a blanket with sleeves isn’t clothing — it’s not like you can go out in public wearing only a Snuggie, with your backside exposed.
The Justice Department tried to compare Snuggies to “priestly vestments or scholastic robes,” according to Bloomberg’s Brian Flood. To give you an idea of how this poor federal judge had to spend his time, Barnett actually had to make the case that robes have an opening in the front or no opening at all, while Snuggies don’t have a closure.
As apparel, Snuggies would have been subject to a 14.9 percent import duty. As a blanket, on the other hand, importers only have to pay an 8.5 percent duty.
Jason Russell is the contributors editor for the Washington Examiner.
