Insight and Information for the Wine, Beer and Distilled Spirits Industry
The Washington Supreme Court has upheld I-1183. Here is a link to the opinion, the concurrence and the dissent.
We will follow up with additional analysis, but for now, you can plan your first trip to the grocery store to purchase liquor as early as tomorrow.
by Hunter Ferguson
Yesterday, the Washington State Supreme Court heard oral argument in Washington Association for Substance Abuse & Violence Prevention v. State, concerning the constitutionality of I-1183. WASAVP contends that I-1183 violates Article II, § 19 of the Washington Constitution in two ways: (1) the initiative violates the “single-subject rule,” by including a…
Today the Washington State Supreme Court accepted review of the challenge to I-1183. The briefing schedule has been posted, and the arguments are set for May 17th. We expect an opinion to be issued before the June 1st implementation date for retail spirits sales. Our colleague Hunter O. Ferguson provided the following update:
I. WASAVAP…
‘out-of-state shipping’…
Continue Reading “At Rest” Proposal for New York
Defenders of I-1183 received a holiday gift last week from the Cowlitz County Superior Court. On Thursday, December 22, 2011, the Court issued two important rulings in the declaratory judgment action challenging the constitutionality of I-1183.
First, the Court granted the motion to intervene brought a group of supports of I-1183 led by Costco and…
Despite Washington voters’ approval of I-1183 in the November 2011 election, the effort to privatize the wholesale distribution and retail sale of liquor in Washington faces another hurdle. Last week, two lawsuits were filed in Washington courts challenging the validity of I-1183. The plaintiffs in both cases contend that the newly enacted law violates the…
On December 5, 2011, the TTB published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (Notice No. 125) regarding the establishment of the Inwood Valley Viticultural Area in Shasta, California. If established, the new AVA would consist of a 28,000 acre area, the vast majority of which is currently not dedicated to, or known for, vineyards. The TTB…
On Wednesday November 16, the TTB published a ruling (T.D. TTB-97, available here) amending the federal definition of the Russian River Valley viticultural area and the Northern Sonoma viticultural area, by expanding each. The action first began in August of 2008 when Gallo Family Vineyards submitted a petition for the amendment. After receiving numerous comments …
“UC Davis”, conference, wine, wineries, imports, exports, TTB…
Continue Reading UC Davis Holds Wine Law Conference
On April 15th, a California Superior Court Judge denied a challenge to San Diego County’s new Winery Ordinance. The Ordinance, passed in 2010 and available here, eases restrictions on tasting rooms and sales for smaller producers and allows others to essentially “fast-track” registration as a “small winery” with such designation allowing for pre-approved events, …
