Untangling the complex world of wine direct shipping and compliance

Posts from the Litigation Category

Siesta’s Over

By R. Corbin Houchins, Beverage Industry Counsel

On January 26th, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ended the puzzling status of interstate retailing in Texas created by the lower court’s decision in Siesta Village Market. The district court had ruled that out-of-state retailers had a Commerce Clause right to sell wine to Texas consumers, but only wine that had been purchased from [...]

January 27th, 2010

Siesta's Over

By R. Corbin Houchins Beverage Industry Counsel

On January 26th, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ended the puzzling status of interstate retailing in Texas created by the lower court’s decision in Siesta Village Market. The district court had ruled that out-of-state retailers had a Commerce Clause right to sell wine to Texas consumers, but only wine that had been purchased from [...]

January 27th, 2010

High Fives in the First Circuit

By R. Corbin Houchins, Beverage Industry Counsel

Justified jubilation greeted the 14 January 2010 decision of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, which affirmed the federal district court decision of 19 November 2008 in Family Winemakers of California v. Jenkins, invalidating the Massachusetts “volume cap.” (see previous post “Huge win for wineries, but can I ship to Massachusetts [...]

January 26th, 2010

Huge win for wineries, but can I ship to Massachusetts now?

By Jeff Carroll - VP of Compliance, ShipCompliant

First Circuit affirms District Court decision On Thursday, January 14th, the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit affirmed the judgment of the District Court in the case of Family Winemakers of California v. Jenkins. The appellatte decision represents a major victory for wineries and may be the end of the case that [...]

January 17th, 2010

Up in the Air

By R. Corbin Houchins, Beverage Industry Counsel

On September 30, a federal district judge in a New Mexico suit brought by US Airways to free it from state regulation of beverage service ruled that the 21st Amendment prevents the federal government from preempting state regulation of alcoholic beverage service aboard federally regulated carriers. The decision leaves New Mexico regulators free to treat [...]

October 20th, 2009