John Ream Challenges 1868 Home Distilling Ban at Supreme Court

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Sep 22

John Ream's bid to legalize small-scale home distilling for personal use is now before the U.S. Supreme Court, targeting a federal ban that makes producing even 1 ounce of spirits at home a felony.
The case turns on whether Congress can use its taxing power to bar noncommercial distilling in a private home, even though federal law allows home production of beer and wine.
A circuit split has sharpened the dispute: the Sixth Circuit ruled against Ream in April, while the Fifth Circuit ruled 11 days earlier that the tax rationale did not justify the restriction.
The federal government says the ban remains part of the system for protecting and collecting excise taxes on distilled spirits, a framework rooted in an 1868 law.
The justices have not agreed to hear Ream's case or the parallel challenge, but any review could determine whether home distilling can join beer and wine as a legal household hobby.