Trump administration sues California over egg prices and blames animal welfare laws
Sky high egg prices have been in the headlines for months, due in large part to the nationwide outbreak of the bird flu.
But could California state policies also be to blame?
The Trump administration is now suing Gov. Gavin Newsom, along with several other state officials, alleging "The State of California has contributed to the historic rise in egg prices by imposing unnecessary red tape on the production of eggs."
The lawsuit references Proposition 12, passed by voters in 2018, that amended state law to mandate minimum space requirements for certain animals, including chickens.
The lawsuit alleges that California law conflicts with the Egg Products Inspection Act, approved by Congress in 1970.
"The Department of Justice is trying to argue here that California has a law that in part regulates how eggs are produced, and that state law is actually in conflict with a federal law dealing with the inspection of eggs," said Jessica Levinson, a law professor at Loyola Marymount University.
"The legal question here is whether there is a true conflict here between the federal law and the state law. If there is, we know what happens. Under the supremacy clause, the federal law trumps."
But Levinson said the argument could be made that California's law doesn't interfere with the inspection and packing of eggs, that it only has to do with the humane treatment of the chickens laying the eggs.
"The federal law says very specifically that when it comes to the quality of eggs, the federal law sets the standard, that there can't be state variation.
"But the question is whether or not the state law does talk about the quality of the eggs, or whether it talks about something different; which is the situation in which chickens are housed."
Newsom responded to the issue on X, saying "Trump's back to his favorite hobby: blaming California for literally everything. Next up: Gavin Newsom caused the fall of Rome and sent the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs!"
At this point, no court date has been set.
