Flying Dog Victory

As reported previously, in March Flying Dog Brewery announced that it had filed suit against the Michigan Liquor Control Commission on First Amendment grounds. The Michigan Liquor Control had barred the sale of the brewery's Raging Bitch beer. Some well-known defenders of the Constitution joined in the fight. Earlier this week, the Michigan Liquor Control announced it had reversed its decision to ban the sale of the beer. While that is great news, Flying Dog is not giving up the fight. As they report on their blog:

“The Michigan Liquor Control Commission’s involuntary reversal of opinion is a victory for craft beer,” Flying Dog CEO and General Partner Jim Caruso said. “Now, the great people of Michigan are no longer denied access to Raging Bitch, Flying Dog’s top-selling beer. But the fight for First Amendment rights in Michigan continues to rage on.”

Though the Michigan Liquor Control Commission has now approved the sale of Raging Bitch in the state, we have no interest in dropping the First Amendment lawsuit. With the support of the Center for the Defense of Free Enterprise and the law firm of Gura & Possessky, we originally filed suit in U.S. District Court on March 25 not only to overturn the Commission’s regulation banning Raging Bitch, but also to deem their ability to ban any beer label that they find offensive unconstitutional. Additionally, the suit seeks to recover damages from the loss of sales under the rule.

That's great to hear. As we celebrate the birthday of our Nation with the Declaration of Independence from Great Britain in 1776, this is a timely reminder of the importance of defending our rights as outlined in the Constitution.