Federal judge dismisses lawsuit by Missouri, 5 other states challenging California egg law

A federal judge has thrown out a lawsuit filed by Missouri and five other states asking the court to strike down a California law barring the sale of eggs produced by hens kept in cages that are too small.

U.S. District Judge Kimberly Mueller dismissed the suit Thursday, saying the states lacked legal standing to sue because they failed to demonstrate that the California law harms their citizenry as a whole instead of just their egg farmers.

Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster sued in February challenging the law set to take effect in 2015. Nebraska, Alabama, Oklahoma, Kentucky and Iowa joined in March.

The states contended the law violates the U.S. Constitution by effectively imposing new requirements on out-of-state farmers.

After-hours messages left with the plaintiffs were not immediately returned.