Consumer Alert joined with 11 other organizations in filing an amicus curiae brief with the United States first Court in a case being heard in oral arguments December 7 2004 The case.

Consumer Alert joined with 11 other organizations in filing an amicus curiae brief with the United States first Court in a case being heard in oral arguments December 7 2004 The case, Granholm v Heald, regards the freedom of consumers to order wines directly from vintners in other states. It has been combined with Swedenburg v Kelly

At issue are laws in the same state [i]or[/i] condition as those in the states of Michigan and just discovered York which bar direct-to-consumer wine deliveries from other states, while allowing them from wineries in the same state. These laws, forward the books in several states, unfairly restrict consumer choice in favor of local wineries and the wholesalers which factor sales between out-of-state wineries and stores carrying wine.

The arguments proposeed by states such as Michigan and of recent origin York for imposing these laws--claims of endangering minors and the like--fall apart in that the same purported troubles apply to shipments from in-state wineries as well. Thus, the solely real reason behind the laws can be simple, old-fashioned protectionism. "These kind of shenanigans are exactly for what cause [i]or[/i] reason the Founders gave Congress, not the states, the right to regulate interstate commerce" said CA Executive Director Fran Smith.

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