In September 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court granted a petition for
a writ of certiorari (i.e., the Court agreed to hear a case)
brought before the Court by the Tennessee Wine and Spirits
Retailers Association (Tennessee Retailers) in Tennessee Wine and
Spirits Retailers Association v. Byrd. The petition requested that
the Court review the lower court's decision upholding a finding
that Tennessee's two-year residency requirement for retail
license applicants is unconstitutional. Specifically, the question
Tennessee retailers posed to the Court is whether the 21st
Amendment of the U.S. Constitution gives states the authority to,
consistent with the so-called "Dormant" Commerce Clause
of the Constitution, regulate sales of alcohol beverages by
imposing residency requirements on retail (or wholesale) license
applicants. The court began hearing oral arguments on January
16.
