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See the latest national and state-level government affairs issues including news and announcements from the Brewers Association and members of the House and Senate Small Brewers Caucus.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit’s recent decision in Lebamoff Enterprises v. Whitmer upheld Michigan laws permitting direct-to-consumer shipping by in-state alcohol beverage retailers but prohibiting such activity by out-of-state retailers. Read More
The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals struck down several Missouri alcohol beverage advertising laws citing the state’s failure to demonstrate the laws advanced the state’s interest (e.g. in promoting responsible consumption) and that the scope of the laws went beyond …Read More
The US Supreme Court handed down its opinion in Tennessee Wine and Spirits Retailers Assn. v. Thomas, a case challenging a Tennessee law imposing a two-year durational residency requirement on applicants for a license to operate a retail liquor store, …Read More
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court upheld a $2.6 million fine against beer wholesaler Craft Brewers Guild for violating anti-price discrimination statutes and commercial bribery regulations. In the same decision, the Court overturned a fine lodged against a bar that received …Read More
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit issued its opinion in Lebamoff v. Rauner, involving a challenge to Illinois prohibitions of direct-to-consumer wine shipments by out-of-state retailers, finding that such prohibitions are discriminatory. Like another case in Michigan …Read More
The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia has granted the Joint Motion for Entry of the Modified Proposed Final Judgment, finding that judgment to be “in the public interest.” Read More
The U.S. Supreme Court has granted a petition filed by the Tennessee Wine and Spirits Retailers Association to review conflicting lower court decisions, the most recent of which invalidated Tennessee’s two-year residency requirement for retail license applicants. The resolution …Read More
A U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan decision has authorized out-of-state retailers to sell and ship wine directly to Michigan consumers, granting those retailers the same direct-to-consumer privileges extended to in-state retailers in 2016 Michigan legislation. However, …Read More
Nevada distributor Bonanza is suing MillerCoors over the latter’s attempt to redirect the sale of Bonanza’s distribution rights to a Coors distributor. Bonanza claims that MillerCoors’ contractual right to match and redirect such a sale is illegal under Nevada law. Read More
The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri has handed down a decision in a case challenging advertising restrictions in Missouri’s tied house laws and regulations, finding that several of those restrictions violate the plaintiffs’ commercial speech rights. Read More
Pete Johnson serves as the State & Regulatory Affairs Manager for the Brewers Association (BA). He joined the BA at its inception in 2005, having previously worked as Programs Director for the Brewers Association of America. Before coming to the small brewing industry in 2001, Pete worked for 14 years with both state and federal elected officials in Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C.
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