09.01.2015

Federal judge strikes down California foie gras ban Rules that state law infringes on superseding federal one. Ban passed legislature in 2004 but didn’t take effect until 2012. The judge permanently blocked the state attorney general from enforcing part of the foie gras ban that took effect in 2012, finding that the federal government's authority to regulate poultry products supersedes the state law.
Foie gras producers in Canada and New York, along with local restaurant owners, challenged the ban in court, arguing that it was “unconstitutionally vague” and in violation of the US constitution’s commerce clause. Animal-rights groups immediately asked California Attorney General Kamala Harris to appeal the ruling to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.