Updated at 5:54 p.m.
Bar owners unable to buy liquor during the state's shutdown found no relief in a Monday court ruling.
Ramsey County District Court Judge Kathleen Gearin denied the Minnesota Licensed Beverage Association's petition for the state to continue processing liquor purchasing cards.
About 300 liquor retailers (including bars, restaurants and liquor stores) across the state cannot buy more alcohol because their cards have expired. State officials say that number will reach about 425 by the end of the month. The relevant licensing operations were deemed non-critical during the shutdown.
Gearin said the petition raises "complex interpretations of the Minnesota Constitution," which the court will consider if the shutdown is not resolved this week. Those constitutional arguments, Gearin wrote, fall outside the scope of the court-appointed Special Master.
Special Master Kathleen Blatz recommended the court deny the petition because the court already recognized that the shutdown will adversely affect private businesses.
"The effects of the shutdown will be harmful, if not crippling, to many businesses but the solution to this problem does not rest with the judicial branch but rather those branches charged with enacting the state's budget," Blatz wrote.
MillerCoors, which was also impacted by expired licenses, has not felt the same sting. State officials asked the company to develop a plan to stop distribution and remove their product from shelves last week, but neither have happened.
