Supreme Court weighs Internet sales regulation

SUPREME COURT WEIGHS INTERNET SALES REGULATION
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: David G. Savage]
The Supreme Court took up a little-noted case Wednesday that could prove a boon in the era of Internet commerce -- and deal a setback to states' efforts to keep cigarettes, drugs and other harmful products out of the hands of minors. Until the last decade, states restricted sales of certain products by regulating the sellers. For example, retailers were banned from selling cigarettes to those under age 18. But cigarettes, like nearly every other product, now can be bought over the Internet and sent directly to the consumer, which means the seller cannot verify the age of the purchaser. As a fallback, states increasingly have turned to shippers and delivery services, such as UPS or FedEx, and said they must see to it that certain products, including tobacco, are delivered only to adults, not minors. But Bush administration lawyers joined the trucking industry Wednesday in urging the high court to throw out state law and to shield shippers from all such state regulation of delivery services. This would speed the flow of Internet sales and reduce costs, they said. Forcing delivery services to check on who is receiving a particular product disrupts "the timely and cost-effective flow of packages to our businesses and homes," lawyers for the shippers said.
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-na-scotus29nov29,1,...
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