Costco Case: Let the Games Begin

The Costco court case kicked off Tuesday in the U.S. District Court in Seattle. At issue is whether certain elements in Washington State's alcohol code, elements common to many states' alcohol codes--which have already been ruled to be per se violations of antitrust law--can be exempted from those laws by the 21st Amendment, which gives the states authority to regulate alcohol. Specifically, the court will look at these provisions in Washington law:1.The ban on volume discounts. 2.The mandatory 10% markup