Judge not stopping Wisconsin Wedding Barn Lawsuit

County Judge Allows Wedding Barn Lawsuit to Proceed

Wedding barn owners in Wisconsin could be on their way to their day in court.

A Trempealeau County Judge on Friday refused to dismiss the lawsuit that challenges Wisconsin’s 2023 law that requires wedding barns to get liquor licenses and follow other special interest-inspired rules if they want to host more than a handful of events each year.

Critics say the law is not only written to benefit the Tavern League, it will essentially put wedding barn owners out of business.

Jean Bahn owns the Farmview Event Barn in Berlin. She is one of two barn owners who are challenging the law.

“I am not in this to become a millionaire, we are just trying to get by," Bahn said in a statement Monday. "Hosting low-cost weddings in our barn allows us to pay for maintenance and updates of our home and farm equipment to keep our farm up and running. This legislation was designed by special interests in Madison to limit competition, and that’s not right.”

Bahn is being represented by the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty. WILL is also suing on behalf of a second wedding barn owner in Blair.

“[Friday’s decision] is a great win for our clients and for anyone opposed to government-sponsored cronyism and economic protectionism in our state,” WILL attorney Lucas Vebber said. “Our clients will get their day in court.”

The wedding barn legislation, attached to a broader bill officially known as Act 73, passed on a bipartisan vote. Gov. Tony Evers signed it into law in December of 2023, but it won’t take effect until January of 2026.

The law changes most of Wisconsin’s three-tiered liquor licensing law, but specifically, it would end the opportunity for people to bring their own beer and liquor to wedding barns.

The new law changes the definition of “public place” to include wedding barns and other venues that people can rent. Right now those venues don’t need liquor licenses, but the new law would require those barns and venues to acquire liquor licenses, just like bars, taverns, or other venues that serve alcohol. If not, wedding barns could get a bring-your-own license, but the law would limit those barns or venues to just six events per-year.

“[The new law] defines a “public place” as virtually any space available for rent—such as Plaintiffs’ private event venues. Act 73, however, contains many exemptions, making the scheme illogical. For example, a tailgate party in the parking lot of Lambeau Field is not a “public place”— but an invite-only private wedding party at a barn is,” WILL’s lawsuit states. “Although the changes are not in effect yet, the very threat

of them has already caused potential renters to take their business elsewhere. Act 73 violates Plaintiffs’ right to earn an honest living and to equal protection. It also violates the Wisconsin Constitution’s uniform taxation rule.”

WILL has also been critical of how the law came into being, accusing the Tavern League of using its power and influence at the state Capitol to essentially target its competition.

“This legislation is nothing more than an attack on their businesses to limit or eliminate competition–and those facts will finally come to light through the legal process,” Vebber added.

There’s no word just when the case may go before a jury. The judge didn’t set that timeline on Friday.