NEW YORK | 19 August, 2026 — The Liberty Justice Center is honored to announce that Atlas Network has selected the organization as a finalist for the 2026 Templeton Freedom Award, recognizing its work defending American businesses, consumers and the Constitution from unlawful tariff policies.
The Templeton Freedom Award is Atlas Network’s most prestigious honor. It recognizes organizations whose work has made an exceptional and transformative contribution to advancing individual liberty, human dignity and economic opportunity. Named for investor and philanthropist Sir John Templeton, the award reflects his conviction that free competition, limited government and the free exchange of knowledge foster human flourishing.
The Liberty Justice Center was selected for its legal campaign challenging sweeping tariffs imposed without clear congressional authorization. Through strategic and timely litigation, the organization has worked to protect small businesses and consumers from tariffs that raise costs, disrupt supply chains, threaten jobs and undermine the Constitution’s separation of powers—all at no cost to its clients.
In V.O.S. Selections v. Trump, the Liberty Justice Center represented five owner-operated American businesses severely harmed by tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). The Liberty Justice Center secured victories before both the U.S. Court of International Trade and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. The U.S. Supreme Court then struck down the tariffs, holding that IEEPA does not authorize the president to impose tariffs. The landmark decision reaffirmed that the executive branch cannot claim sweeping powers over taxation and trade that Congress did not grant.
The Liberty Justice Center continued that fight when the administration imposed new global tariffs under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974. In Burlap & Barrel v. Trump, the organization, represented Burlap & Barrel and Basic Fun!, two American businesses harmed by the tariffs. The U.S. Court of International Trade ruled in their favor, holding that the tariffs exceeded the authority granted by Section 122. That ruling is now on appeal.
Liberty Justice Center filed a separate challenge to the administration’s new Section 301 tariffs, that served as a replacement to Section 122 tariffs, continuing its work to ensure that the executive branch remains within the limits imposed by Congress and the Constitution.
Liberty Justice Center also launched Project TERRA—the Tariff Equity Refund Resource for America—to help small businesses navigate the federal refund process and recover tariffs collected unlawfully. Project TERRA translates complicated government procedures into accessible guidance and provides direct assistance to small and mid-sized businesses that often lack in-house legal or compliance teams. TERRA has supported more than 1,000 small businesses and currently helped return over $100 billion in unlawfully collected tariffs to American businesses.
“Since our founding fifteen years ago, the Liberty Justice Center has never shied away from big fights. We have made it our mission to defend the constitutional rights of all Americans,” said Sara Albrecht, Chairman and CEO of the Liberty Justice Center. “That is why we stood up against these unlawful tariffs when others would not. This work demonstrates that constitutional limits can produce real and measurable freedom—protecting businesses, preserving jobs and returning money that never should have been taken. We are deeply grateful to Atlas Network for recognizing this effort and standing with us in this fight.”
The Templeton Freedom Award is presented annually by Atlas Network. Six organizations from around the world are selected as finalists by an independent panel of judges. The 2026 winner will receive a $150,000 prize and will be announced at Atlas Network’s Freedom Dinner in New York City on November 12.
The Liberty Justice Center congratulates its fellow finalists and thanks Atlas Network for recognizing the impact of its work to preserve constitutional government and economic freedom.
Learn more about the Liberty Justice Center’s work to defend individual liberty across the country here.