The law dates from 1868 and was intended to stop liquor manufacturers from evading taxes. But now private individuals are allowed to make wine and beer at home for their own use.
Those challenging the old law include advocacy groups, bar owners who want to make their own whiskey and manufacturers of home stills. They argue that lawmakers have overstepped their authority and hope to get rid of the penalties they currently face: heavy fines and up to five years in prison.
"Our ancestors would have turned in their graves if they had heard that a hobby even George Washington enjoyed, one as American as apple pie, has been absurdly banned," reads a statement from one of the lawyers.