Supreme Court, Wine, Direct Shipping-3
Dahlia Withlick has written a wonderful summation of the arguments in today’s Supreme Court case on Direct Shipping for Slate: In Vino Gravitas. Read it.
Based on her blow by blow reporting of the various arguments made today, it appears to me that things went exactly as I thought they would. The Justices were overwhelmingly skeptical of the State’s argument that the only way they could protect minors, recover taxes and regulate the flow of alcohol is to erect these barriers to trade. And they should be skeptical of this argument. It is completely bogus.
Seems like those defending the state laws really took it on the chin with the questioning they got from the Justices.
Frankly, I think the only issue at hand now is how favorable to the small vintners the ruling will be? 9-0? 8-1? Justice Souter maybe the the lone dissenter.
The ruling comes in June.
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