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Food and Drug Administration v. Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp.

United States Supreme Court

529 U.S. 120 (2000)

Facts

In 1996, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a rule prohibiting the marketing of tobacco products to young people. The FDA claimed it had authority to regulate tobacco products because they were drugs within the meaning of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA). This position was a change from the FDA’s prior position that it did not have jurisdiction to regulate tobacco products. Tobacco companies challenged the rule on grounds that the structure and history of the FDCA did not permit the FDA to regulate tobacco products.

Rule of Law

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Issue

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Holding and Reasoning (O’Connor, J.)

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Dissent (Breyer, J.)

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