Food and Drug Administration v. Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp.

In 1996, the FDA (plaintiff) issued a rule restricting tobacco marketing to minors, asserting jurisdiction on the theory that tobacco products were "drugs" under the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) -- reversing its own decades-long prior position that it had no such jurisdiction. Tobacco companies, including Brown & Williamson (defendant), challenged the rule, arguing the FDCA's structure and history did not support FDA authority over tobacco.