Court upholds effort to block graphic cigarette warnings

Richmond, Va. • The federal government can’t require tobacco companies to put large graphic health warnings on cigarette packages to show that smoking can disfigure and even kill people, a divided federal appeals court panel ruled Friday. In a 2-1 decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington affirmed a lower court ruling that the requirement ran afoul of the First Amendment’s free speech protections. The appeals court tossed out the requirement and told the Food and Drug Administration to ...