Columbus, OH – On Wednesday, The Buckeye Institute delivered its oral argument before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in Ream v. U.S. Department of Treasury, calling upon the court to overturn the federal government’s unconstitutional ban on home distilling, arguing that the statute exceeds Congressional authority under Article I of the U.S. Constitution and violates the Tenth Amendment.

“The government failed to answer the court’s reasonable request to address the merits of this case, which is telling,” said Andrew M. Grossman, a senior legal fellow at The Buckeye Institute and a partner in BakerHostetler’s Washington, D.C., office, who presented the argument as a lead attorney on the case.

This oral argument came the day after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit sent a letter to the U.S. government advising that the designated three-judge “panel expects to discuss, and the Government should be prepared to address, the merits of the constitutional claims in this case during oral argument on Wednesday, December 10, 2025.” This development in The Buckeye Institute’s case put the government on notice that it could no longer avoid addressing the serious constitutional questions by doubling down on its absurd argument that Mr. Ream does not have standing to bring the case since he has not violated the law in his pursuit of this otherwise innocuous endeavor.

“The oral argument was at times a bit heated, especially when the government was at the lectern, but the stakes are high. The constitutional rights of all Americans are before the court,” said Robert Alt, president and chief executive officer of The Buckeye Institute, who is the other lead attorney on the case. “We hope Ohio’s own John Ream will prevail with his desire to one day lawfully distill spirits in his own home for his own consumption and are honored to represent him in this important case.”

Before they were married, John Ream’s wife, Kristin, gifted him with a home brewing kit. After experimenting with home brewing for nearly 10 years, Mr. Ream turned his hobby into his own American Dream. The Reams opened Trek Brewing Company in Newark, Ohio. Since 2017, this family-owned business has grown into a community gathering place that, through the Trek Community Fund, actively supports local organizations that make the area a better place to live. Now, Mr. Ream, a former Boeing engineer, would like to try distilling small quantities of alcohol in his own home for his own personal consumption. However, the federal government threatens Mr. Ream with years in federal prison and thousands of dollars in fines if he were to do so.

Read more about The Buckeye Institute’s case and stay up-to-date on its progress at: BuckeyeInstitute.org/ReamvUSTreasury.

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