A lawsuit has been filed in Illinois challenging that state’s discriminatory ban on wine shipments from out-of-state wine retailers and wine stores. The ban has been in place since 2007 when the state passed a law allowing out of state wineries to ship to Illinois, but revoked the right of out of state wine retailers to ship to Illinois residents.
Also, recently, Illinois passed a law making shipments from out of state retailers a FELONY on par with aggravated assault and stalking.
Hopefully, this suit will end the protectionist stance the state has maintained in their effort to protect the state’s wholesalers from competition.
Tom, I really appreciate the work you and your associates do. Making shipping wine a felony is outrageous. I guess the only way to fight such an unreasonable and corrupt decision is to battle the law head on.
The attorneys who filed the lawsuit are Alex Tanford and Bob Epstein. Both are very familiar with the somewhat arcane constitutional issues at play. Hopefully for retailers and Illinoisans they will find a receptive judge.