Hearings Begin on Vermont’s GMO Labeling Law

Yesterday the first oral arguments were heard in GMA v. Sorrell, the case against Vermont’s landmark GMO labeling law. Earlier this year the Grocery Manufacturers Association filed suit against the State of Vermont for passing Act 120, the nation’s first no-strings-attached GMO labeling law. The arguments focused on the State’s Motion to Dismiss and the Plaintiff’s Motion for a Preliminary Injunction. The arguments addressed the issues at play in the suit including federal preemption, the Commerce Clause, and the First Amendment.

Judge Reiss gave both sides as much time as they needed to lay out their arguments and to answer questions the Judge had developed while reviewing the briefs from both parties. No final ruling was issued on either the Motion to Dismiss or the Preliminary Injunction, though the Judge did rule against a motion to exclude the most recent amicus brief filed by VPIRG the Center for Food Safety, with co-counsel at the Environmental and Natural Resources Law Clinic. A final ruling on the Motion to Dismiss and the Motion for a Preliminary Injunction could come in the next few months.

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