Key facts
- The Supreme Court will review a federal ban on home liquor distilling enacted in 1868.
- The ban is challenged as exceeding Congress's constitutional authority.
- Fifteen Republican-led states support the challenge to the ban.
- Lower federal courts have issued conflicting rulings on the law's constitutionality.
The US Supreme Court has agreed to review a federal ban on home distilling of liquor, a law enacted in 1868 following the Civil War to combat liquor tax evasion. The Trump administration is defending the ban, while challengers, supported by over a dozen Republican-led states, argue it exceeds Congress's constitutional authority. The case stems from conflicting rulings by federal appellate courts: the 5th Circuit declared the law unconstitutional, while the 6th Circuit upheld it. The Supreme Court is expected to hear arguments in the coming months and issue a ruling by the end of June 2027.