On September 27, agriculture industry groups, including the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) and American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to review the Ninth Circuit’s decision to uphold California’s Proposition 12, which is a ballot initiative that was passed by California voters in November 2018 and established new standards of confinement of certain farm animals and bans the sale of eggs, veal, and pork products that do not comply with those standards.

As our readers know, in July of 2021, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled against the NPPC and AFBF in their challenge to Prop 12. In a unanimous decision, the Ninth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of the groups’ challenge to the law, stating that the law correctly regulates in-state and out-of-state actions in the same way. The panel also noted that precedent dictates a state law can only be found to violate the dormant commerce clause in “narrow circumstances” and the law’s alleged “upstream effects” on out-of-state producers do not qualify.

The NPPC and AFBF state that the district and appeals courts’ decisions should be overturned. NPPC President Jen Sorenson said “We’re asking the Supreme Court to consider the constitutionality of one state imposing regulations that reach far outside its borders and stifle interstate and international commerce.”

Notably, this is not the first challenge to Proposition 12 to go before the U.S. Supreme Court. The North American Meat Institute (NAMI) previously petitioned the Court to hear its case regarding the constitutionality of Prop 12, arguing that the Ninth Circuit’s decision in its case conflicts with holdings by other appellate courts and the U.S. Supreme Court. However, the Supreme Court denied the request for review on June 28 and offered no explanation for its decision.