Oklahoma Supreme Court strikes down alcohol petition

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – The Oklahoma Supreme Court has struck down a group’s initiative petition to allow wine and strong beer to be sold in grocery stores.

Court documents say the court ruled 7-1 to invalidate the Oklahomans for Consumer Freedom initiative petition on Monday. It has yet to release a written opinion that may offer more insight into the decision.

The Oklahoman ( http://bit.ly/1tgccjo ) reports that Oklahomans for Consumer Freedom’s initiative petition is nearly identical in wording to a measure passed by the Legislature in May for a statewide vote on the same issue in November.

The group, which has the support of the Oklahoma City and Tulsa Chambers, as well as several larger retail chains such as Wal-Mart, says it was already planning to shift its support to the legislative measure and only launched the initiative petition as a backup plan.