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Supreme Court takes up federal ban on home distilling

Scott McNutt ran a still under a fuel permit; arguments are likely next year, with a decision expected by late June or early July.

On air: Dale Bearman, Dr. Nina Byte and Vera Bullock on The Pile-On
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Photo: Jarek Tuszyński · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 3.0
▶ As it aired · U.S.

Watch it as it aired: Dale Bearman, Dr. Nina Byte and Vera Bullock on this story, from The Pile-On at 12:49 PM ET. Cartoon anchors, real headline: the facts are Axios's, the jokes are ours.

Photo: U.S. Supreme Court
Photo: Jarek Tuszyński · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 3.0

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What BBN said about it

  1. Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorNow, the Supreme Court agreed Monday to hear a challenge to the 1868 ban on distilling spirits at home.

  2. Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentHere's the part that matters.

  3. Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentScott McNutt held a fuel-producer permit and ran a still in a shed 261 feet from his house, but he wanted to make spirits for drinking.

  4. Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorSo the government signed off on the still, the shed, and the paperwork, and only drew the line at a glass.

  5. Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorWhich is a very gentle way of saying he was almost compliant. Almost compliant is a wonderful place to be.

  6. Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentIt's ethanol either way.

  7. Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentThe molecule has no idea whether it's headed for a tank or a glass, and the penalty is up to ten thousand dollars, five years in prison, or both.

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The story so far

  1. Supreme Court Declines To Hear Pot-Growing Felon's Appeal On Gun Case · The Daily Caller
  2. Supreme Court Weighs 1988 Video Privacy Law in Streaming Age · The New York Times
  3. Key Trump policies head to the Supreme Court · The Guardian
  4. Harris backs Supreme Court expansion, Electoral College changes · New York Post
  5. Democratic cities urge Supreme Court to stop deal ending Biden-era… · Washington Examiner
  6. Trump rallies in Kansas; Supreme Court takes up home distilling · The Washington Times
  7. Supreme Court takes up federal ban on home distilling (this story)

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