WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court won’t hear a challenge to a federal requirement that cigarette packages and advertising include graphic images demonstrating the effects of smoking.
The high court declined to hear the case in a brief written order handed down Monday.
Tobacco company R.J. Reynolds appealed to the high court after the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found the warnings do not violate the First Amendment.
They include pictures of smoke-damaged lungs, feet blackened by diminished blood flow and a picture of a woman with a large growth on her neck and the caption “WARNING: Smoking causes head and neck cancer.”
The company argued the final image, for example, was misleading because a patient would likely go to the doctor before a growth reached that size.
The Food and Drug Administration countered that all the pictures reflect undisputed risks of smoking.
Nearly 120 countries around the world have adopted larger, graphic warning labels. Studies from those countries suggest the image-based labels are more effective than text warnings at publicizing smoking risks and encouraging smokers to quit. The U.S. has not updated its labels since 1984.
It’s not clear when new labels might appear. Some legal claims remain and the FDA has said it doesn’t plan to enforce any new requirements until at least December 2025.
FILE - The Supreme Court is seen in Washington, Nov. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California could offer rebates for electric vehicle purchases if the incoming Trump administration eliminates a federal tax credit for people who buy electric cars, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday.
Newsom, a Democrat, will propose creating a new version of the state’s Clean Vehicle Rebate Program, which was phased out in 2023 after funding 594,000 cars and saving 456 million gallons of fuel, Newsom’s office said.
“Consumers continue to prove the skeptics wrong – zero-emission vehicles are here to stay," Newsom said in a statement. "We’re not turning back on a clean transportation future — we’re going to make it more affordable for people to drive vehicles that don’t pollute.”
Newsom’s proposal is part of his plan to protect California's progressive policies ahead of Republican President-elect Donald Trump's second term. He called the state Legislature to convene in a special session to help “Trump-proof” state laws by giving the attorney general’s office more funding to fight federal challenges.
But a budget shortfall could complicate California’s resistance efforts. Early budget projections show the state could face a $2 billion deficit next year, according to a report released last week by the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office. That’s an improvement from an estimated $46.8 billion deficit the state faced last year, but the shortfall could still curtail the state’s ability to expand new programs and fight federal legal challenges. Legislative leaders in both chambers have said the state needs to stay prudent in anticipation of future budget deficits.
Money for the new rebate system could come from the state's Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, which is funded by polluters under the state’s cap-and-trade program, the governor's office said.
Officials didn’t say how much the program would cost or how the rebates would work. Newsom is expected to offer more details of the possible rebate program during an appearance in Kern County later Monday.
California has surpassed 2 million zero-emission vehicles sold, according to Newsom's office. The state has passed policies in recent years to transition away from fossil fuel-powered, cars, trucks, trains and lawn mowers.
Trump previously vowed to end federal electric vehicle tax credits, which are worth up to $7,500 for new zero-emission vehicles. There’s also a $4,000 credit for used ones. But Trump later softened his stance as Tesla CEO Elon Musk became a supporter and adviser.
Trump criticized Newsom on social media after the governor called for a special session, calling out the high cost of living in California and the state’s homelessness crisis. Trump said Newsom was “stopping all of the GREAT things that can be done to ‘Make California Great Again.’”
Newsom said on his podcast earlier this month that he reached out to Trump after the election. He said at a news conference last week that he still hadn’t heard back from the president-elect.
California's defunct Clean Vehicle Rebate Program offered rebates on electric cars as high as $2,500.
Any new rebate program “would include changes to promote innovation and competition" in the zero-emission vehicles market, the statement said.
FILE - California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during a press conference in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer, File)
FILE - Tesla electric vehicles are charged at a station in Anaheim, Calif., Friday, June 9, 2023. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)
FILE - An electric vehicle is charged at a parking garage in Los Angeles, Oct. 17, 2018. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel, File)
FILE - California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during a press conference in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer, File)
