Archives for 2017

Federal Court Rejects Challenge to Oklahoma Constitutional Amendment on Alcohol

Federal Judge Robin Cauthron today dismissed a challenge to the recently passed amendment to the Oklahoma Constitution relating to alcohol sales. Last year the voters in Oklahoma voted for historic changes to alcohol laws in the state with 65.6% in favor of the proposed changes. The plaintiffs, the Oklahoma Retail Association, had a competing initiative that did…Read More

Center for Alcohol Policy Conference to be Held September 6-8 in Chicago

The 10th Annual Center for Alcohol Policy Conference will be held in Chicago on September 7th and 8th. The conference will be held at the Hyatt Centric Chicago Magnificent Mile and starts with a reception the night of the 6th and concludes at noon on the 8th. Once again the President of the National Association of…Read More

Interesting Article Noting the Additional Drivers of Prohibition Beyond Religion

Villanova Professor Mark Schrad has penned a very interesting article in the Washington Post discussing the forces behind the passage of Prohibition 100 years ago. Modern conventional wisdom wrongly attributes passage of the 18th Amendment in 1918 to a moralistic and religious fervor, however, the real reasons were much more nuanced and widespread than religion and the coalitions that brought…Read More

7th Circuit Upholds Indiana Law Restricting Different Types of Wholesaler Licenses

The 7th Circuit rejected an Equal Protection claim by a beer wholesaler prohibited from seeking a liquor wholesaler permit. In an opinion by Circuit Judge Sykes the 7th Circuit upheld the district court decision to reject the plaintiff’s claim. The court first noted, “We are again asked to decide whether an aspect of Indiana’s alcohol regulation system violates the Equal…Read More

En Banc Panel Upholds California Tied House Law Against First Amendment Challenge

In a 10-1 decision, an en banc panel of the 9th Circuit overruled a previous three judge decision of the Ninth Circuit and reinstated a district court decision that upheld a California alcohol law regulating the payment between suppliers/wholesalers and retailers. In the opinion authored by Judge Paez the opinion noted that the Supreme Court’s Central Hudson…Read More