Supreme Court won’t hear Iowa pork case regarding Prop 12 law

The United States Supreme Court declined to hear a case brought by the Iowa Pork Producers Association (IPPA) regarding Proposition 12, a California animal confinement law.

Before moving to the Supreme Court, IPPA’s case was heard by the US Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit. The lower court ruled in favor of Prop 12 in June 2024. Following that case, IPPA filed its petition with the Supreme Court, which was denied on June 30.

The Supreme Court did not provide an explanation for why it rejected IPPA’s case, but court records indicated justices discussed it seven times. Justice Brett Kavanaugh did make a note saying he would have heard the case.

In May 2023, the court ruled against the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) and others who promoted challenging Prop 12.

"The National Pork Producers Council is disappointed by the Supreme Court’s decision not to hear the case by the Iowa Pork Producers Association against California Proposition 12, a request that raised valid concerns of discriminatory regulations that burden pork producers across the country and stand to create a patchwork of laws that neither helps pigs nor the people who raise them,” NPPC said in a statement to MEAT+POULTRY. “Our industry takes animal welfare seriously, and laws governing our industry must be based on science and workable for producers — not arbitrary requirements."

In this most recent case, IPPA argued that Prop 12 imposed an excess burden on interstate commerce and discriminated against out-of-state producers.

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird previously filed a brief, with the support of 23 state attorneys general, asking the Supreme Court to hear the case from IPPA.

After the court decided not to hear the case this week, Bird stated how the ruling will affect pork producers in her state and pledged to continue efforts to overturn the regulation.