Texas Judge Overturns Centuries-Old Ban on Home Distilling, Citing Constitutional Rights
FORT WORTH, Texas — In a landmark ruling, a Texas federal judge has deemed the 1868 federal ban on at-home distilling unconstitutional, marking a significant win for advocates of home-based spirit production. The decision, issued on Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman, not only struck down a longstanding prohibition but also emphasized the constitutional limits of governmental authority over individual liberties. The plaintiff in the case, the Hobby Distillers Association, represented by lawyers from the libertarian Competitive Enterprise Institute, argued that the ban overstepped Congress’s taxing powers and infringed upon the Commerce Clause of … Read more