Washington, DC - Acting Attorney General Linda Singer announced today that the Office of the Solicitor General landed a big win in the Singer Beer Sales case: Decatur Liquors v. District of Columbia. Writing for a unanimous panel, Judge Stephen Williams of the United States Court of Appeals ordered the dismissal of a challenge to the Ward 4 moratorium on sales of single containers of certain alcoholic beverages.

The case stems from legislation introduced by then councilman, Adrian M. Fenty to address the problem of public drunkenness plaguing Ward 4 residents. The Omnibus Alcoholic Beverage Amendment Act of 2004 prohibited within a certain area of Ward 4 the sale or delivery of an individual container of beer, malt liquor or ale in sizes of 70 ounces or less.

The Appeals Court ruled that the measure did not violate the Constitution, and that any federal claims raised in the lower court should have been dismissed.