Supreme Court rules states can’t block direct interstate wine shipments News
Supreme Court rules states can’t block direct interstate wine shipments

[JURIST] The US Supreme Court [official website] ruled Monday that states may not pass laws banning out-of-state wineries from shipping wine directly to customers in state. The ruling strikes down New York and Michigan laws [state shipping laws from Wine Institute] prohibiting direct shipment to customers from winerys in other states and affects 24 other states with similar wine shipping bans. In the 5-4 decision the court called the bans discriminatory and anti-competitive because the New York and Michigan laws allowed in-state wineries to ship directly to customers but did not allow the same for out-of-state wineries. Read the opinion [PDF]. AP has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Laws of Burgos put into effect

The Spanish Crown put the Laws of Burgos into effect on December 27, 1512. These laws governed the relationship of Spanish settlers with the indigenous peoples of the Caribbean. The laws established the encomienda system of labor, promoted conversion to Catholicism, and safeguarded the indigenous peoples from physical abuse.  However, historians argue that the laws were ineffective at protecting the rights of the indigenous population. Learn more from the Library of Congress.

Prohibitionist Carrie Nation carried out her first public bar smashing

On December 27, 1900, militant Prohibitionist Carrie Nation carried out her first public smashing of a bar, at the Carey Hotel in Wichita, Kansas. Nation argued that destroying bars was an acceptable means of battling the liquor trade since the Kansas Constitution prohibited alcohol. Learn more about Carrie Nation.

World Bank created

On December 27, 1944, the World Bank was created during the United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, USA. Learn more about the history of the World Bank.