Hobby Distillers Association v. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau et al
In December of 2023, the Hobby Distillers Association – and four of its individual members – sued the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau and the Department of Justice, arguing that the federal prohibition of at-home alcohol beverage distilling runs afoul of the United States Constitution. The suit argues that the Constitution creates a federal government of limited powers, and that none of these powers can appropriately be used to prohibit at-home distilling.
The regulatory power of state governments is not at issue in this case: it is only the power of the federal government that this suit challenges. In other words, this lawsuit respects federalism by challenging only the powers of the federal government; the suit does nothing to affect the traditional police powers of the states to regulate the health, safety, and welfare of the public.