Wine & Spirits Retailers, Inc. v. Rhode Island & Providence Plantations

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

TORRES, Chief Judge.

Wine & Spirits Retailers, Inc. (W & S) brought this action to declare unconstitutional a Rhode Island statute prohibiting the retail sale of alcoholic beverages by chain stores and/or franchise businesses. The case, presently, is before this Court for consideration of W & S’s request for a preliminary injunction prohibiting the State from enforcing the statute.

The issue presented is whether the statute violates W & S’s First Amendment right to freedom of speech or its Fourteenth Amendment right to equal protection. After an evidentiary hearing and for…