Michigan Federal Court Ruling on Wine Shipping Draws Attention
October 3, 2008 – 10:47 amA good amount of attention is being shown in the media toward Tuesday’s Michigan Federal Court decision concerning out-of-state retailer to consumer shipping in that state. As you may recall from yesterday’s post at Wine Without Borders, Judge Hood in Michigan ruled Michigan’s discriminatory, anti-consumer law was unconstitutional. She enjoined the state from enforcing any laws that prohibit Michiganders from having wine shipped to them from out-of-state wine stores.
Specialty Wine Retailers has issued a press release on the matter that can be found HERE.
Wine.com announced it will now begin shipping into Michigan in THIS press release.
Corbin Houchins covered the ruling for ShipCompliant in THIS blog post.
David Eggert of the Associated Press covered the ruling HERE
MichWine, the Consumer Michigan website, covered the story HERE
Joel Goldberg blogged about the important decision in THIS post
Wine & Spirits Daily covered the wine for consumers in THIS story.
Fermentation: The Daily Wine Blog had SOMETHING to say on the ruling.
Most folks are wondering if Michigan’s very active alcohol wholesalers will continue there anti-consumer march through the courts with an appeal or if the state of Michigan will take on consumers with the filing of an appeal. Frankly, the best thing Michigan could do for its consumers and its coffers would be to fashion rules that require out-of-state retailers to obtain a permit to ship into Michigan and require them to remit sales taxes, submit themselves to Michigan’s legal jurisdiction, require regular reporting and, in doing so, free up Michigan’s consumers to finally have access to the real American wine market.