STATE REGULATIONS ON WINE SHIPMENTS UPHELD.

• Author: Campbell, Colin

Out-of-state wine retailers still cannot ship to North Carolina consumers after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a lawsuit challenging the regulation.

North Carolina law allows customers to have wine shipped to their homes from in-state retail companies, but not from businesses outside the state. A Florida-based retailer called B-21 Wines sued the N.C. ABC Commission, arguing that the prohibition was unconstitutional and violated interstate commerce laws.

But a lower federal court ruled in favor of the state's argument that the regulation isn't discriminatory because it accomplished state policy objectives such as tax collection and public health. The Supreme Court's...