As we’ve written before, a liquor store, Connecticut Fine Wines (the Connecticut arm of Total Wine) had an issue with some of Connecticut’s alcoholic beverage laws. Specifically, they brought suit challenging Connecticut’s post-and-hold laws, minimum pricing laws, and restrictions on volume discounts and rebates for alcohol sales. The liquor store chain lost at the Second Circuit, but their loss sparked a scathing dissent from Judges who would have granted them an en banc review of their appellate loss.
Given the strength of the dissent, the liquor store filed a petition for certiorari with the United States Supreme Court requesting the court take up this important alcoholic beverage sales case, and briefing on that petition has now concluded.
- You can read our analysis of the initial opinion and get some background on the different provisions regarding alcohol sales that Connecticut Fine Wines was challenging here.
- You can read the full reply brief that the liquor store filed in support of its petition for certiorari in this alcoholic beverage antitrust matter here.
- You can read our take (largely positive) on the dissent from the en banc decision here.
- Liquor lawyers and you can follow the Supreme Court’s docket for Connecticut Fine Wine and Spirits LLC dba Total Wine & More v. Connecticut here.