(Radio Iowa) – The U.S. Supreme Court has heard more tha two hours of legal arguments over a California law that would impact Iowa farmers raise pigs. A California law approved in 2018 would require that bacon, ham and other pork products sold in that state come from operations that provide at least 24 square feet of space for every pregnant sow. The American Farm Bureau and the National Pork Producers Council sued to block the law. The groups say nearly all sows are kept in pens that do not comply with California’s standard.

Justice Neil Gorsuch asked whether it’s the job of the courts to balance the concerns of Iowa’s farmers against the moral concerns of Californians. Justice Samuel Alito suggested California was bullying other states because of its large population. The Biden Administration’s representative before the court told the justices California’s law is an unreasonable restriction on interstate commerce because it regulates animals that are not in California.