On Wednesday, January 7, the Federal District Court in Burlington, Vermont will begin oral arguments in the landmark case of Grocery Manufacturers Association, et al. v. Sorrell, which addresses the state’s recently-passed law requiring the labeling of food produced with genetic engineering.

The Grocery Manufacturers Association, along with the Snack Food Association, the International Dairy Foods Association, and the National Association of Manufacturers have challenged the law under the First Amendment, claiming that the requirement forces them to “speak” against their will.

Free Speech For People filed a brief in November 2014, setting forth the argument that food labeling requirements do not merit the full protection of the First Amendment, given that the First Amendment was designed to protect participation in self-government, not commercial interests.

Vermont is the third state to pass laws requiring GMO labeling.

To read our brief, click here.  For more information on the hearing, click here.