Snuggies are not priestly robes, court rules
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The world can rest wrapped in the comfort of knowing that the federal courts have now ruled that Snuggies are blankets with arms, and not robes or priestly vestments.
According to a Feb. 10 ruling in the U.S. Court of International Trade, the sleeved polyester fleece coverings that enable a person to read a book or fiddle with a remote control while remaining toasty should be classified as blankets for trade-tax purposes.
The ruling rejected the Justice Department’s argument that Snuggies are wearable apparel and thus be subject to higher duties than blankets.
The ruling weighed both sides of the argument, featuring over 13 pages of deliberations: “Defendant contends the Snuggie is akin to ‘clerical or ecclesiastical garments and vestments’ and ‘professional or scholastic gowns and robes’ because those garments ‘have wide-armed sleeves and flow loosely around the body.’…As Plaintiff contends, however, clerical and ecclesiastical garments have closures.”
The fact that Snuggies do not have closures and are open in the back appeared to have swayed Judge Mark Barnett, who noted that the product’s marketing line, “The Blanket With Sleeves,” makes it clear that it is not a garment, according to an article in International Trade Daily.
According to the article, the ruling means that instead of paying 14.9% duties when bringing Snuggies into the U.S., importers will only have to pay 8.5% duties.
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