Tobacco Companies Rejected by Supreme Court on Warning Labels

The US Supreme Court rejected a tobacco industry appeal and refused to block a new federal rule that will require cigarette packages to carry graphic new warnings about the health dangers of smoking.

The justices without explanation left intact a federal appeals court decision that said the warnings – which include prominent images of people with cancer, lung disease and erectile dysfunction – don’t violate the free-speech rights of cigarette makers under the Constitution’s First Amendment.

The high court rebuff puts the warning labels a step closer to becoming reality after more than a decade of legal wrangling. The FDA ...