Residents of the city of Madison, Wisconsin, became concerned about overconsumption of liquor near the campus of the University of Wisconsin (UW). The city initiated a new policy, imposing conditions...

Residents of the city of Madison, Wisconsin, became concerned about overconsumption of liquor near the campus of the University of Wisconsin (UW). The city initiated a new policy, imposing conditions on area bars to discourage reduced-price “specials” that were believed to encourage high-volume and dangerous drinking. Later, the city began to draft an ordinance to ban all drink specials. Bar owners responded by announcing that they had “voluntarily” agreed to discontinue drink specials on Friday and Saturday nights after 8:00 p.m. The city put its ordinance on hold. Several UW students filed a lawsuit against the local bar owners’ association, alleging violations of antitrust law. (See Section 1 of the Sherman Act.)

(a) The first group will identify the grounds on which the plaintiffs might base their claim for relief and formulate an argument on behalf of the plaintiffs. (b) The second group will determine whether the defendants are exempt from the antitrust laws. (c) The third group will decide how the court should rule in this dispute and provide reasons for the ruling.