The Supreme Court’s May 2026 denials in Day v. Henry and Chicago Wine v. Braun left the lower-court judgments in place. We examine what those denials leave unresolved and why evidence remains central to retailer direct-shipping challenges.
Competing claims to Kentucky bourbon history produced another lesson about proof. The Sixth Circuit’s decision examines ambiguous “first” claims, consumer deception, and the evidence beverage brands need before turning a marketing dispute into litigation.
Retailer-shipping challengers prevailed in the Sixth Circuit’s Ohio case. The opinion illustrates why discriminatory shipping restrictions require an evidentiary defense and why that inquiry differs from a challenge to the three-tier system as a whole.
An Omaha cocktail bar’s barber-shop theme attracted a licensing challenge. We examine the preliminary-injunction ruling and explain why a name, a barber pole, and themed décor deserve a closer First Amendment analysis.
A Michigan bar’s challenge puts warrantless liquor inspections under constitutional scrutiny. The Generis Entertainment opinion examines limits on inspection scope and officer discretion, with practical questions for licensed businesses before an inspector arrives.
A payment for lost distribution rights can create a tax dispute after the brand handoff ends. Young’s Market’s Washington case shows why transfer agreements should distinguish inventory, rights, compensation, and settlement obligations with care.
A brewery logo created for cash and free beer became a major ownership dispute decades later. The SweetWater artwork litigation shows why founders should document copyright ownership, license conditions, and transfer rights before a brewery sale.
MariGrow’s Chicago dispensary approval survived challenges before the zoning board, circuit court, and appellate court. The case offers lessons about standing, notice, public participation, and building a record that can support a contested special use permit.
A supplier’s promise to retrieve inventory can become the most important part of a termination agreement. Labatt’s dispute with Friends Beverage highlights return deadlines, storage costs, contractual remedies, and the evidence distributors need when pickup never happens.
How much work should the phrase “unquestionably legitimate” do in an alcohol-shipping case? This analysis of Day v. Henry examines three-tier dicta, Tennessee Wine’s evidentiary inquiry, and the constitutional questions presented for Supreme Court review.
Connecticut’s treatment of free shelf-stocking raises questions about the boundaries of inducement law. We compare the ruling with Fedway and discuss how wholesalers can challenge unsupported enforcement theories and preserve statutory arguments.
The Ninth Circuit’s Peridot Tree decision rejects a dormant Commerce Clause challenge to cannabis residency requirements. We examine the tension with Raich’s treatment of marijuana as commerce and the implications for state licensing and economic protectionism.
