JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - More than a dozen states have filed a lawsuit to block a California law that requires eggs sold in the state to come from hens that have space to stretch in their cages.
The lawsuit was filed directly to the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday. It alleges that California's requirements violate the U.S. Constitution's interstate commerce clause and are pre-empted by federal law.
A federal appeals court panel rejected a similar argument last year in a separate lawsuit from six states.
Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley is spearheading the new lawsuit. He says it includes new data estimating California's egg law has cost consumers nationwide up to $350 million annually as a result of higher egg prices since it took effect in 2015
The other plaintiff states are Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and Wisconsin.
