A federal judge has ruled in favor of retailers in a lawsuit challenging a hard liquor law in Texas.
This week, U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman ruled in favor of retailers in a case challenging Texas' ban on publicly-traded businesses owning liquor stores. The law kept retailers like Walmart from owning liquor stores or selling hard liquors in the Lone Star State, while local retailers dominated the market.
In a statement to the Texas Tribune, Texas for Comsumer Freedom praised the ruling, saying that it will stop the government from picking winners and losers in Texas liquor sales.
“For decades, these laws have stood in stark contrast to Texas values,” a spokesperson for the organization said. “The State of Texas should not pick winners and losers in private industry.”
Walmart, the chief plaintiff in the lawsuit, also praised the decision in a statement released this week.
“Texas is the only state in the nation that issues package store permits to privately owned corporations, but refuses to let publicly owned corporations participate in the retail liquor market,” Anne Hatfield, a spokesperson for Walmart, Inc. told the Texas Tribune. “Walmart filed suit because these laws are unfair and hurt our customers. We are grateful for Judge Pitman’s thoughtful opinion, finding that these laws violate the U.S. Constitution.”
The Texas Package Stores Association, who has fought to uphold the law, said, following the ruling, that it plans to appeal the ruling to the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court.
