The Argument

Listening to the important oral arguments in wine shipping lawsuits

The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals is one of 12 appellate courts that rest just below the United States Supreme Court. Like the other 11 circuit courts, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals hears appeals from lower federal district courts, which are “trial courts”. It’s at the trial court level that evidence is submitted in a case, arguments are made and then the court renders its decision based on evidence and established case law. When one of the litigants in the case does not agree with the decision, it can be appealed to the next highest court, which is the Circuit Court of Appeals.

Today, oral arguments were heard by a three-judge panel in the case of Block v Canepa, a case in which an Illinois wine retailer sued the state of Ohio because Ohio discriminates in its laws against out-of-state retailers. Ohio allows its own wine retailers to ship wine to Ohio residents but bars out-of-state retailers from doing the same. The Illinois retailer claims this is a violation of the U.S. Constitution’s dormant commerce clause doctrine that tells us states may not possess laws that interfere with or regulate interstate commerce.

Below is the recording of these oral arguments. The Illinois retailer lost its case at the lower federal district court, appealed to the Sixth Circuit, both the Illinois retailer and the state of Ohio supplied briefs arguing their case, and then today the Sixth Circuit listened to both sides make their case.