On July 9, 2025, the Department of Justice (DOJ) filed suit against the State of California, Governor Gavin Newsom, Secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture Karen Ross, Director of the California Department of Public Health Erica Pan, and California Attorney General Rob Bonta in an attempt to nullify portions of three different state laws that establish animal welfare standards for livestock, including egg-laying hens.  Beginning in 2008, California voters approved a series of propositions enacting animal husbandry requirements, including minimum space requirements and prohibitions against cages for egg-laying hens. These laws require that any agricultural products sold in the California marketplace come from farms that meet these standards.  The most recent update to these standards, Proposition 12, was passed in 2018, and the law was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2023. Despite this precedent, the DOJ argues that federal law preempts these state provisions and blames them for high egg prices.

On March 18, 2026, the district court dismissed the Trump administration’s lawsuit against California that sought to block California’s animal welfare laws.

Today’s decision affirms that the Trump Administration had no valid case against California’s voter-approved animal welfare laws. Its bogus claims are nothing more than an attempt to distract from a broader affordability crisis of their own making. Since Day One, they have never been able to explain how these commonsense animal welfare laws harm the interest of the United States. As Attorney General, I’ll continue to stand up for Californians and the rule of law.  Attorney General Rob Bonta