Indiana laws restricting the delivery of wine to consumers have been upheld by a federal judge who rejected constitutional challenges from an out-of-state retailer, in contrast to another recent ruling in a case challenging state alcohol licensing laws.
An Indiana law requiring bars and restaurants owned by out-of-state entrepreneurs to gross more than $100,000 in food sales each year to receive an Indiana alcohol permit has been permanently struck down as unconstitutional by a federal judge.
Total Wine & More, the national alcohol retailer with more than 200 stores in 24 states, is a step closer to doing business in Indiana after a federal court has temporarily barred the Hoosier state from enforcing its statutory prohibitions that keep out-of-state businesses from holding liquor permits.
Retailers outside Michigan can’t send alcohol directly to the state’s consumers, a federal appeals court said, a ruling that impacts at least one Indiana alcohol retailer.
The stay-at-home extension that Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb signed Monday strengthens the restrictions around how retailers can operate — including a provision that requires liquor stores to only offer curbside pickup.
The protracted battle between Indiana and E.F. Transit over who can transport beer, wine and liquor spilled, again, into the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, where the judicial panel, with a majority participating remotely, heard arguments about when federal law preempts state prohibitions.
Just days after getting turned down for a liquor permit, a huge Maryland-based liquor retailer is suing the Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission, saying the denial was unconstitutional and amounted to economic protectionism.
In late June, the U.S. Supreme Court notified Tennessee that it was last call for the state’s liquor sales residency requirement — a law similar to statutes on Indiana’s books.
The Indiana Alcohol Code Revision Commission went back to work on Wednesday with a new leader and a new slate of alcohol-related issues to study ahead of the 2019 legislative session. Topics on the agenda included reducing the complexity and increasing the consistency of Indiana’s alcohol licensing laws, evaluating the permit quota structure, and studying over-consumption and its causes and effects.
An amended version of Sunday alcohol sales legislation in Indiana would allow Hoosiers to purchase alcohol for carryout on Sundays as soon as the bill is signed, rather than waiting until the traditional legislative effective date of July.
For the first time in Indiana history, a Senate committee has approved a bill allowing Sunday alcohol sales, moving the measure to the full Senate.
The Indiana House Public Policy Committee received overwhelming support for proposed legislation that would allow for Sunday carryout alcohol sales during testimony on Wednesday, with retailers from both the liquor store and big-box retailers supporting the measure. A Senate panel also was to consider its Sunday sales bill.
Expanding retail sales of cold beer beyond liquor stores and permitting Sunday sales of alcohol are among the issues that will once again be on tap for lawmakers in the 2018 session of the Indiana General Assembly.
A legislative commission created to review Indiana’s antiquated booze laws will meet just days after two powerful lobbying groups presented their own alcohol plan as one that will win lawmakers’ approval.
The Statehouse will again be talking liquor as the Indiana Alcohol Code Revision Commission holds its first hearing Tuesday.