Second Circuit Weighs In on NYC Menu-Calorie-Regulation

As noted yesterday, a federal district judge has upheld the NYC regulation requiring chain restaurants to post calorie information.   The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit has now lifted a stay, allowing the law to go into effect.  The city, however, has agreed to delay issuing any fines under the new law until July 18th.   As WNBC reports, yesterday’s oral argument on the stay might have foretold at least one Judge’s position on the merits:

In arguments earlier Tuesday, [Restaurant Association lawyer Kent] Yalowitz said restaurants believe federal laws pre-empted local efforts to try to regulate how restaurants describe the contents of their food. He said the First Amendment rights of restaurants protected them as well.

Judge Rosemary Pooler noted that cigarette packages contain health warnings. “If we were to adopt your view, no warnings would ever appear on anything,” she said.   

– SBS