Court Upholds Restrictions on Tobacco Industry

In the latest skirmish in the federal government’s long-running racketeering case against the tobacco industry, reports the Wall Street Journal, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit last week  rejected the tobacco industry’s argument that Judge Gladys Kessler’s restrictions should be set aside because Congress in 2009 passed a law that imposed other restrictions on the industry and gave the Food and Drug Administration the authority to regulate tobacco products. The appeals court said Judge Kessler acted reasonably when she decided last year to move forward with the earlier restrictions.