Dive Brief:

• A federal judge lifted the California ban on selling foie gras, or specially fattened duck liver, which had been in place since the original law was passed in 2004 and went into effect in 2012.
• The judge found that the state ban conflicted with federal laws, including regulations for interstate commerce and the Poultry Products Inspection Act.
• Animal rights groups had helped the original law's passing, saying that force-feeding ducks to create foie gras was a form of animal cruelty.

Dive Insight:

According to the LA Times, several restaurants fought back against the foie gras ban - some even going as far as giving away foie gras samples to customers as a form of political protest. The ban's overturn for being unconstitutional flies in the face of a recent October 2014 Supreme Court decision that upheld the foie gras ban in California.