Texas ruling favors Walmart liquor sales

A federal judge in Texas has sided with Walmart Inc. in its legal battle with the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission to sell liquor by the bottle.

U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman’s ruling, which came Tuesday, followed a five-day bench trial held in June and supported the Bentonville retailer’s constitutional challenge in the state.

Walmart, which sells beer and wine in 668 Texas locations, wants to sell liquor in Texas, but licenses for retail sales were refused by the commission.

The company argued that the state’s package liquor-license restrictions — one of which prohibits public corporations from obtaining any packagestore permits — represented unconstitutional discrimination.

Walmart sells beer or wine in 47 states and liquor in 31 states, according to court documents.

The Texas Package Store Association said Wednesday that it plans to appeal Pitman’s ruling.