"Tobacco Health Labels Unconstitutional: Judge"

"A U.S. judge sided with tobacco companies on Wednesday, ruling that regulations requiring large graphic health warnings on cigarette packaging and advertising violate free-speech rights under the U.S. Constitution."

"Cigarette makers challenged the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's rule requiring companies to label tobacco products with i0
'The government has failed to carry both its burden of demonstrating a compelling interest and its burden of demonstrating that the rule is narrowly tailored to achieve a constitutionally permissible form of compelled commercial speech,' U.S. District Judge Richard Leon said in the ruling."

Jeremy Pelofsky reports for Reuters March 1, 2012.