Supreme Court Strikes Down Ban on Wine Shipments

[mcscajun]

Let the Party Begin!

:woohoo: :party: :woohoo:

Supreme Court Strikes Down Ban on Wine Shipments

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: May 16, 2005

Filed at 12:20 p.m. ET

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Wine lovers may buy directly from out-of-state vineyards, the Supreme Court ruled Monday, striking down laws banning a practice that has flourished because of the Internet and growing popularity of winery tours.

The 5-4 decision overturns laws in New York and Michigan, which supporters said were aimed at protecting local wineries and limiting underage drinkers from purchasing wine without showing proof of age. In all, 24 states have laws barring interstate shipments.

(snip)

The ruling means that legislatures in the 24 states barring out-of-state shipments will have to review their laws to make sure in-state and out-of-state wineries are treated equally. As a result, states could choose to allow wineries to sell to consumers directly, but could also bar all wineries from doing so.

(snip)

The Washington-based Institute for Justice says the 24 states that ban direct shipments from out-of-state wineries are Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah and Vermont.

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Scotus-Wine-Shipments.html?hp&ex=1116302400&en=f9ac60875598b512&ei=5094&partner=homepage

[northzax]

1. And Kenneth Starr

begins to slightly redeem himself...

20 bucks says that the Feds step in. anyone?

[Total Disaster]

2. Finally!

How silly (and ridiculous) it has been to have to hand-carry a case or two of wine on the plane simply because you can't ship it back to your hometown.

I don't see how this probibiting the shipment of wine was hurtful to anyone other than those who wished to do business with one another.

[kenny blankenship]

3. This is good for me

but probably bad for local wine merchants.

[smitty]

4. wine shipments

The state bans were not about protecting local vineyards or stopping underage drinking---it was about taxes. By buying wine over the Internet, people avoided state liquor taxes.

[mcscajun]

5. It was also about in-state distributors wanting no competition

It wasn't just about taxes.