Supreme Court Strikes Down Maine Tobacco Law

U.S. Supreme Court justices on Wednesday unanimously struck down a Maine law that would have placed new restrictions on motor carriers delivering tobacco shipments, Bloomberg News reported.

The 2003 law required carriers to deliver tobacco shipments only to the person named on the package, and to ask for proof of age at the time of delivery.

In its ruling, the Supreme Court said the law violates the Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act, which prohibits state laws “related to a price, route or service of any motor carrier.” The ruling upheld the earlier decision of a federal appeals court, Bloomberg reported.

The trucking industry had opposed the Maine regulation, arguing that it could lead to conflicting state laws that Congress meant to pre-empt when it deregulated motor transportation.

Justice Stephen Breyer, writing for the court, agreed with the trucking industry and noted that the law “could easily lead to a patchwork of state service-determining laws, rules and regulations.”