No. 18-96October Term 2018Decided Jun 26, 2019
Tennessee Wine and Spirits Retailers Assn. v. Thomas
This case was about a Tennessee law that let people or businesses get retail liquor licenses only if they had lived in the state for a set number of years.
Case status
- Current stage
- Decided
- Latest event
- Decision released Jun 26, 2019
- What it's about
This case was about a Tennessee law that let people or businesses get retail liquor licenses only if they had lived in the state for a set number of years. The Supreme Court considered whether those residency rules were unconstitutional discrimination against out-of-state businesses or were allowed under the Twenty-first Amendment.
Question presented
Whether the Twenty-first Amendment empowers States, consistent with the dormant Commerce Clause, to regulate liquor sales by granting retail or wholesale licenses only to individuals or entities that have resided in-state for a specified time.
- Case path
United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit / Decision released Jun 26, 2019
- Area
First Amendment, Civil Rights
Timing
Decided June 26, 2019
The Court released its decision on June 26, 2019 without hearing oral argument.
Related cases
Grounding
- Grounding
- Primary-source trail available.
- Note
- Plain-English explainer. Official filings and opinions remain authoritative.
- Checked
- Jul 3, 2026
- Method
- Methodology