No decision in Tennessee Wine Case
The Supreme Court did not issue an opinion in the Tennessee Wine case. The Court will be back Thursday to publish more opinions. I still expect an Alito written opinion, but we shall see!
Who will write the opinion in the Tennessee Wine Case and how will it influence the outcome?
The Supreme Court has only two more weeks this term and us liquor folks are awaiting anxiously a final decision. The conventional wisdom is the longer it takes an opinion to come out, the more groundbreaking it will become.
In liquor circles we are not only interested in the opinion but also who will be its […]
Pilot Project Brewing: Helping small brewers get into the game and starting a brewing revolution
INTRO
Pilot Project Brewing offers a unique concept in the craft beer space. Many people dream of brewing their own beer and opening their own brewery. Unfortunately, reality may hit and the talented but poor brewer may lack the $2 million in funds to start a successful brewery with a tasting room.
Like many great […]
Proposed Illinois Liquor Taxes Defeated
The proposed Illinois liquor taxes that would have increased taxes on wine and spirits nearly fifty percent was defeated. A leading Illinois industry member indicated that the tax increases would not go through. Initially the taxes were proposed as a way to pay for Governor J.B. Pritzker’s capital plan.
As I indicated early, if passed and […]
Can state regulators enforce liquor laws that federal courts have found unconstitutional?
Dedicated In Memorium to Lieutenant Michael Murphy,
a Great American Hero
A US District Court held that Michigan’s law banning out-of-state retailers from shipping wine into the state was unconstitutional. It held that the nondiscrimination principle which applied to suppliers in Granholm extended to retailers. Michigan sits in the 6th Federal Judicial Circuit, […]
Illinois: When and Why Cannabis will pass and successful Liquor bills
Introduction
The Illinois legislature is adjourning in a week and today several liquor bills passed both houses including a bill that creates a distiller pub license. Interesting enough, a bill that would make changes to the existing brew pub license did not get called for a vote today and its deadline was extended for […]
Raising Liquor Taxes in Illinois will become an absolute folly
Governor J.B. Pritzker proposed increasing liquor taxes as a way to pay for his capital plan. His proposed plan would increase the tax on beer from 23.1 cents to 27.7 cents per gallon, would increase the tax on wine from $1.39 to $2.05 per gallon, and would increase the tax on spirits from $8.55 to […]
Happy 1st Anniversary to irishliquorlawyer.com
Today marks the 1st Anniversary of irishliquorlawyer.com.
As I look back on this first year, I never could have predicted where I have gone on this journey.
irishliquorlawyer.com which started as a blog to review Illinois liquor issues has turned into a national blog. But the success of this blog is owed to so many people that […]
Illinois Cannabis Legislation: The cracks in the artwork
Illinois recently came out with the first draft of legalized cannabis legislation. The bill is loaded with social equity provisions which include a program to provide low-interest loans for “social equity applicants”.
Like any first draft nothing is final and everything is a work in progress. When looking at the bill, I noticed that there are […]
Cannabis legalization is turning conventional wisdom on its head
Conventional wisdom tells you it should be so easy! Three states with Democratic Governors want to legalize cannabis and in all three states the governors have Democrat supermajorities in both houses of the legislature. Nevertheless, even with these built in advantages, the cannabis legalization bandwagon has screeched to a grinding halt. In Illinois, New Jersey […]