My husband asked me to request some assistance from your collective minds on this subject. It is actually more a general question for our own information, but it also relates to a minor annoyance we face sometimes. I have to admit, he got my interest on this one.
Ok, on Sunday in Ohio, one can only buy wine from certain retailers who have a particular license- despite the fact the other retailers may be able to sell wine all week. A few stores must be given special waivers to sell on Sunday, but they are few and far between and sometimes non-existent in communities.
Our question is this, does a citizen have a legal standing to challenge the validity of that law in the court system? I realize we could lobby politically and have it lifted, but there is a sneaking suspicion that the law only exists because of religious pressure that still exists today. We understand that the state has a compelling interest to regulate the trade of alcohol (or so they claim), but since they are allowing some places to sell it and not others on a particular day, it seems as if the law is arbitrary. We also understand that they have to limit who can sell alcoholic beverages, but the stores restricted from selling are those that can normally sell the product except on Sunday. Henceforth, our preliminary conclusion that this is a remnant of the Temperance movement.
So, the question is, could this law be challenged legally by a customer. We already figured that an owner could get arrested for selling on Sunday and then challenge it in court, but I would never want to risk that as a business owner because both my hubby and I agree that the chances are pretty slim of getting a judge to side with you on this one.
Thus, to make a long story short, is there any legal standing a customer has to challenge the law in courts in this situation?