State legislation forbidding direct interstate shipment of wine, pushed by a cartel of distributors, was exactly the protectionist trade barrier the Constitution's Commerce Clause was designed to prevent; the 21st Amendment lets states regulate alcohol for health/safety but does not authorize economic protectionism, so such laws were rightly struck down 5-4.
causalpending
Speaker
Clint BolickEvidence Quote
“the twenty-first amendment did not empower the states to engage in economic protectionism and so these laws were struck down”
Created: 6/16/2026, 2:24:20 PM
My Notes
Loading notes...