I certainly take Alex’s point that libertarians can disagree about the appropriateness of federal preemption of state tort law. Indeed, Justice Thomas’s concurring opinion lays out a strong textual case against implied preemption of state law in all cases. However, there are a few points I was not able to make in yesterday’s post that better elucidate why preemption is better policy given the narrow facts presented in Wyeth v. Levine. And, Justice Alito’s dissenting opinion — after pointing out a few…

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The Supreme Court handed down its decision this morning in the Wyeth v. Levine federal preemption case, holding, by a 6-3 majority, that “Federal law does not pre-empt [plaintiff Diana] Levine’s claim that [the Wyeth drug] Phenergan’s label did not contain an adequate warning about the IV-push method of administration.” Justice Stevens wrote the majority opinion, joined by Justices Kennedy, Souter, Ginsburg, and Breyr, and with Justice Thomas concurring in the judgment. Justice Alito wrote a compelling dissenting opinion, joined by…

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The Supreme Court’s pending, and perhaps imminent, decision on the preemptive effective of FDA drug labeling approvals in Wyeth v. Levine has stimulated a flood of legal and public policy debate on the roles that federal regulation and state-law based tort litigation should play in regulating pharmaceutical manufacturers. That debate, which is almost certain to continue in a legislative forum should Wyeth prevail before the Court, may determine the future of the now-lucrative litigation industry. More importantly, arguments made in the debate by…

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