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No. 10003336
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
American Apparel & Footwear Association, Inc. v. Dave Baden
No. 10003336 · Decided July 15, 2024
No. 10003336·Ninth Circuit · 2024·
FlawFinder last updated this page Apr. 2, 2026
Case Details
Court
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
Decided
July 15, 2024
Citation
No. 10003336
Disposition
See opinion text.
Full Opinion
FOR PUBLICATION
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT
AMERICAN APPAREL & No. 23-35114
FOOTWEAR ASSOCIATION, INC.;
HALLOWEEN INDUSTRY D.C. No. 3:21-cv-
ASSOCIATION, INC.; JUVENILE 01757-SI
PRODUCTS MANUFACTURERS
ASSOCIATION, INC.; TOY
ASSOCIATION, INC., DBA Safe to OPINION
Play Coalition,
Plaintiffs-Appellants,
v.
DAVE BADEN, in his official
capacity as Interim Director of the
Oregon Health Authority; ELLEN
ROSENBLUM, in her official capacity
as Attorney General for the State of
Oregon's Department of Justice,
Defendants-Appellees.
Appeal from the United States District Court
for the District of Oregon
Michael H. Simon, District Judge, Presiding
2 AM. APPAREL & FOOTWEAR ASS’N, INC. V. BADEN
Argued and Submitted March 14, 2024
San Francisco, California
Filed July 15, 2024
Before: M. Margaret McKeown and Morgan Christen,
Circuit Judges, and David A. Ezra,* District Judge.
Opinion by Judge Ezra
SUMMARY**
Preemption
The panel affirmed the district court’s partial dismissal
and partial summary judgment in favor of the defendants in
an action brought by trade associations alleging that part of
Oregon’s Toxic-Free Kids Act and two of that statute’s
implementing regulations were preempted by the Federal
Hazardous Substances Act and the Consumer Product Safety
Act.
The Toxic-Free Kids Act directs the Oregon Health
Authority, a state agency, to establish and maintain a list of
high priority chemicals of concern for children’s health. The
trade associations argued that the law should be enjoined
*
The Honorable David A. Ezra, United States District Judge for the
District of Hawaii, sitting by designation.
**
This summary constitutes no part of the opinion of the court. It has
been prepared by court staff for the convenience of the reader.
AM. APPAREL & FOOTWEAR ASS’N, INC. V. BADEN 3
because it subjects the designated chemicals to requirements
that are not identical to the federal framework.
The panel upheld the district court’s conclusion that the
federal Consumer Product Safety Commission had not,
through the promulgation of a regulation, exercised
independent judgment or expertise to trigger the express
preemption provisions of the FHSA or CPSA with respect to
all of the 73 chemicals at issue. Thus, the trade associations’
facial challenges failed because they could not show that the
Oregon statute and its implementing regulations were
invalid in all their applications.
The panel held that the CPSA also did not impliedly
preempt the Toxic-Free Kids Act and its regulations through
principles of conflict preemption.
COUNSEL
Dwain M. Clifford (argued) and James T. McDermott,
McDermott Weaver Connelly Clifford LLP, Portland,
Oregon, for Plaintiffs-Appellants.
Carson L. Whitehead (argued), Assistant Attorney General;
Benjamin Gutman, Solicitor General; Ellen F. Rosenblum,
Attorney General; Oregon Department of Justice, Salem,
Oregon; for Defendants-Appellees
4 AM. APPAREL & FOOTWEAR ASS’N, INC. V. BADEN
OPINION
EZRA, District Judge:
Appellants American Apparel & Footwear Association,
Inc. and other trade associations represent manufacturers of
children’s products. Appellants allege that part of Oregon’s
Toxic-Free Kids Act (“TFKA”), and two of the statute’s
implementing rules are preempted by the Federal Hazardous
Substances Act (“FHSA”) and the Consumer Product Safety
Act (“CPSA”). Appellants appeal the district court’s
dismissal of their preemption claims.
We have jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1291, and
we affirm the district court’s judgment. In so doing, we
uphold the district court’s conclusion that the Consumer
Product Safety Commission (“the Commission”) has not
exercised independent judgment or expertise to trigger the
express preemption provisions of the FHSA or CPSA with
respect to all the chemicals at issue. Thus, Appellants’ facial
challenges fail because they cannot show that the TFKA and
its implementing regulations are invalid in all their
applications.
BACKGROUND
In 2015, the Oregon Legislature enacted the Toxic-Free
Kids Act. Or. Rev. Stat. §§ 431A.250–431A.280. The
TFKA directs the Oregon Health Authority (“OHA”), a state
agency, to establish and maintain a list of high priority
chemicals of concern for children’s health (“HPCCCH”) and
to issue regulations implementing the law. As of January 1,
2022, OHA’s list contained 73 chemicals designated as
HPCCCH. Or. Admin. R. 333-016-2020.
AM. APPAREL & FOOTWEAR ASS’N, INC. V. BADEN 5
Appellants argue that Oregon’s law should be enjoined
because it subjects these 73 chemicals to requirements
preempted by federal law. Specifically, they challenge
Oregon Revised Statutes § 431A.258 (the “Notice Statute”),
Oregon Administrative Rule 333-016-2060 (the “Notice
Regulation”), and Oregon Administrative Rule 333-016-
3015 (the “Exemption Regulation”), as unlawful because
they impose requirements that are not identical to the federal
framework.
The Notice Statute requires manufacturers of children’s
products, or the manufacturers’ trade associations, to
provide biennial notices when a children’s product that is
sold or offered for sale in Oregon contains a chemical listed
as a HPCCCH, at or above a de minimis level. Or. Rev. Stat.
§ 431A.258(1)(a), (6).
The Notice Regulation, promulgated by OHA under the
TFKA, specifies that a manufacturer’s (or trade
association’s) notice must include the amount of the
chemical used in each “unit” (defined as each “component
part”) within each product category, reported as a range. Or.
Admin. R. 333-016-2060(5)(d), (1); see also Or. Admin. R.
333-016-2010(9) (defining “component part”).1 The Notice
Regulation also sets the calendar for when notices are due
according to a biennial notice schedule. See Or. Admin. R.
333-016-2060(3), (4).
A product may be banned in Oregon for failing to timely
remove or substitute a chemical designated as a HPCCCH.
“On or before the date on which a manufacturer of a
children’s product submits the third biennial notice required
1
Citations to the Oregon Administrative Rules are to the versions in
effect prior to January 1, 2024.
6 AM. APPAREL & FOOTWEAR ASS’N, INC. V. BADEN
under [the Notice Statute] for a chemical that is present in a
children’s product, the manufacturer must remove or make a
substitution for the chemical . . . or seek a waiver . . . , if the
chemical is present in a children’s product that is:
(a) Mouthable; (b) A children’s cosmetic; or (c) Made for,
marketed for use by or marketed to children under three
years of age.” Or. Rev. Stat. § 431A.260(1).
However, the TFKA and its regulations create carve-outs
that allow manufacturers to be exempt from meeting the
requirement of removal or substitution of HPCCCH. Id.
§ 431A.260(4). Under the Exemption Regulation, a
manufacturer may apply for an exemption in any of the
following four circumstances:
(a) The children’s product contains a HPCCCH
used in children’s products at levels that are
at or below allowable levels for children’s
products as established by the Consumer
Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008,
P.L. 110-314, 122 Stat. 3016, as in effect on
July 27, 2015.
(b) A manufacturer is in compliance with a
federal consumer product safety standard
adopted under federal law that establishes
allowable levels for children’s products of a
high priority chemical of concern for
children’s health used in children’s products.
(c) The State of Washington has granted an
exemption for the removal or substitution of
a HPCCCH in the same children’s product
model for which the exemption is requested
under OAR 333-016-3015.
AM. APPAREL & FOOTWEAR ASS’N, INC. V. BADEN 7
(d) A children’s product has been tested under
applicable EN- 71 standards, by a laboratory
that is accredited to conduct such testing
under the current edition of ISO/IEC 17025
by an accreditation body that is a signatory to
the International Laboratory Accreditation
Cooperation mutual recognition
arrangement.
Or. Admin. R. 333-016-3015(2).
Appellants take issue with the strings attached to the
exemption provision. To be exempt, “a manufacturer must
submit an exemption request and the fees specified in OAR
333-016-2080(1)(e)” and provide to OHA “written
supporting documentation, an electronic copy of the
certificate of conformity, if available, that is issued by the
applicable authority or an authorized designate, and any
other supporting documentation that provides evidence that
the children’s product meets the applicable standards
described in the applicable category.” Or. Admin. R. 333-
016-3015(4). The required exemption fee is $1,500. Or.
Admin. R. 333-016-2080(1)(e). For an exemption request
under subsection 2(b) of the Exemption Regulation, the
written supporting documentation must include “a citation to
the federal consumer product safety standard adopted under
federal law that establishes an allowable level of a HPCCCH
in children’s products, specific to allowable levels of the
HPCCCH in children’s products.” Or. Admin. R. 333-016-
3015(4)(b).
Appellants seek declaratory and injunctive relief against
both the Director of OHA and the Oregon Attorney General
in their official capacities. Appellants claim that the
challenged provisions are preempted by the FHSA, 15
8 AM. APPAREL & FOOTWEAR ASS’N, INC. V. BADEN
U.S.C. §§ 1261–1278a, and the CPSA, 15 U.S.C. §§ 2051–
2089.
The district court granted OHA’s motion to dismiss the
FHSA preemption claim. The district court then granted
OHA’s motion for summary judgment on Appellants’ CPSA
preemption claim. Subsequently, Appellants timely filed
this appeal.
STANDARD OF REVIEW
We review de novo the district court’s dismissal of the
complaint. NL Indus., Inc. v. Kaplan, 792 F.2d 896, 898 (9th
Cir. 1986). We also review de novo the district court’s order
granting summary judgment on preemption grounds.
Aylward v. SelectHealth, Inc., 35 F.4th 673, 675 (9th Cir.
2022).
DISCUSSION
Preemption derives from the Supremacy Clause, which
“invalidates state laws that interfere with, or are contrary to,
federal law.” Hillsborough County v. Automated Med.
Lab’ys, Inc., 471 U.S. 707, 712–13 (1985) (quotation and
citation omitted). The Supreme Court has identified “three
different types of preemption”—express, conflict, and field.
Murphy v. NCAA, 584 U.S. 453, 477 (2018).
The district court found that the FHSA and CPSA did not
expressly preempt the provisions of the TFKA or its
implementing regulations. Appellants argue that these
provisions are in fact expressly preempted, and in the
alternative, that they are conflict preempted. Field
preemption was not argued by any party and so we do not
reach that question here.
AM. APPAREL & FOOTWEAR ASS’N, INC. V. BADEN 9
I. Facial Preemption Standard
In this lawsuit, Appellants make only a facial preemption
argument; they do not assert an as-applied challenge. The
distinction between a facial challenge and one that is as
applied is important. Unlike an as-applied challenge, which
attacks the application of a statute to a specific set of facts,
“a facial challenge is a challenge to an entire legislative
enactment or provision.” Hoye v. City of Oakland, 653 F.3d
835, 857 (9th Cir. 2011). A party succeeds in a facial
challenge only by establishing “that the law is
unconstitutional in all of its applications” and fails “where
the statute has a plainly legitimate sweep.” Wash. State
Grange v. Wash. State Republican Party, 552 U.S. 442, 449
(2008) (quotation and citation omitted).
As the Supreme Court explained in United States v.
Salerno, “a facial challenge to a legislative Act is, of course,
the most difficult challenge to mount successfully, since the
challenger must establish that no set of circumstances exists
under which the Act would be valid.” 481 U.S. 739, 745
(1987). The Salerno rule applies to a federal preemption
facial challenge to a state statute. See Anderson v. Edwards,
514 U.S. 143, 155 n.6 (1995) (unanimous opinion) (applying
Salerno to a federal preemption facial challenge to a state
regulation); see also Puente Ariz. v. Arpaio, 821 F.3d 1098,
1104 (9th Cir. 2016) (recognizing that “Salerno’s
applicability in preemption cases is not entirely clear,”
particularly in the First Amendment context, but “[w]ithout
more direction, we have chosen to continue applying
Salerno”).
Under Salerno, a plaintiff must show that the state laws
are invalid in all their applications. That means that
10 AM. APPAREL & FOOTWEAR ASS’N, INC. V. BADEN
Appellants must show that all 73 HPCCCH are preempted
by either the FHSA or the CPSA.
II. Express Preemption
“Congress may expressly preempt state law by enacting
a clear statement to that effect.” In re Volkswagen “Clean
Diesel” Mktg., Sales Pracs., & Prods. Liab. Litig., 959 F.3d
1201, 1211 (9th Cir. 2020). Express preemption is a
question of statutory construction, requiring a court to look
to the plain wording of the statute and surrounding statutory
framework to determine whether Congress intended to
preempt state law. Id.; Nat’l R.R. Passenger Corp. v. Su, 41
F.4th 1147, 1152–53 (9th Cir. 2022). Of course,
congressional purpose “is the ultimate touchstone in every
pre-emption case,” Altria Grp. v. Good, 555 U.S. 70, 76
(2008) (quotation and citation omitted), and the plain
wording of the express preemption clause “necessarily
contains the best evidence of Congress’[s] preemptive
intent.” Puerto Rico v. Franklin Cal. Tax-Free Tr., 579 U.S.
115, 125 (2016) (citation omitted).
Both the FHSA and CPSA have express preemption
provisions. As explained below, both express preemption
provisions rely on the actions of the Commission in issuing
preempting regulations.
The FHSA express provision states:
Except as provided in paragraphs (2), (3), and
(4), if under regulations of the Commission
promulgated under or for the enforcement of
section 2(q) [15 U.S.C. § 1261(q)] a
requirement is established to protect against
a risk of illness or injury associated with a
hazardous substance, no State or political
AM. APPAREL & FOOTWEAR ASS’N, INC. V. BADEN 11
subdivision of a State may establish or
continue in effect a requirement applicable to
such substance and designed to protect
against the same risk of illness or injury
unless such requirement is identical to the
requirement established under such
regulations.
15 U.S.C. § 1261 note (b)(1)(B) (Effect Upon Federal and
State Law) (emphasis added).
The CPSA express provision states:
Whenever a consumer product safety
standard under this chapter is in effect and
applies to a risk of injury associated with a
consumer product, no State or political
subdivision of a State shall have any
authority either to establish or to continue in
effect any provision of a safety standard or
regulation which prescribes any requirements
as to the performance, composition, contents,
design, finish, construction, packaging, or
labeling of such product which are designed
to deal with the same risk of injury associated
with such consumer product, unless such
requirements are identical to the
requirements of the Federal standard.
15 U.S.C. § 2075(a) (emphasis added). Neither party
disputes that the text of the FHSA and CPSA requires the
Commission to promulgate a regulation in order for the
preemption provision to take effect. Therefore, for both the
FHSA and CPSA, we must look to see what the Commission
has done and whether the Commission has promulgated any
12 AM. APPAREL & FOOTWEAR ASS’N, INC. V. BADEN
regulations regarding the 73 chemicals that OHA has chosen
to regulate.
During oral argument before the district court, the parties
agreed that 69 of the 73 chemicals designated by OHA as
HPCCCH have not been expressly mentioned in any relevant
regulation issued under the FHSA. Moreover, the parties
agreed that 57 of the 73 chemicals designated by OHA as
HPCCCH have not been expressly mentioned in any relevant
regulation issued under the CPSA. Accordingly, it appears
that the Commission failed to trigger the FHSA’s
preemption provision with respect to at least 69 of the 73
chemicals. Similarly, the Commission failed to trigger the
CPSA’s preemption provision with respect to at least 57 of
the 73 chemicals.
Appellants, however, contend that the Commission does
not have to expressly mention any of the chemicals in the
regulations to trigger express preemption of the FHSA.
According to Appellants, the FHSA preempts state laws
regulating all “banned hazardous substances” based on the
statute’s definition of that term and the incorporation of that
definition into the Code of Federal Regulations. Appellants
contend that once the Commission adopted the FHSA’s
statutory definition of “banned hazardous substance” in a
regulation, the preemption provision was triggered for all
banned hazardous substances.
To fully explore Appellants’ theory of preemption, we
begin with the statutory definition of “banned hazardous
substance” in the FHSA. Section 1261(q)(1)(A) defines
“banned hazardous substance” as “any toy, or other article
intended for use by children, which is a hazardous substance,
or which bears or contains a hazardous substance in such
manner as to be susceptible of access by a child to whom
AM. APPAREL & FOOTWEAR ASS’N, INC. V. BADEN 13
such toy or other article is entrusted.” Section 1261(q)(1)(B)
further defines “banned hazardous substance” as “any
hazardous substance intended . . . for use in the household,
which the [Consumer Product Safety] Commission by
regulation classifies as a ‘banned hazardous substance.’”
This statutory definition is repeated in 16 C.F.R.
§ 1500.3(b)(15)(i). Compare 15 U.S.C. § 1261(q)(1)
(defining “banned hazardous substance”), with 16 C.F.R.
§ 1500.3(b)(15)(i) (defining “banned hazardous substance”).
It is Appellants’ contention that the Commission triggered
the FHSA’s preemption provision for all “banned hazardous
substances” by incorporating this statutory definition into a
regulation. As a result, all HPCCCH that also meet the
federal definition of “banned hazardous substance” would,
by virtue of the FHSA’s preemption provision, not be subject
to the challenged provisions of the TFKA.
However, the federal regulation states, “the definitions
set forth in section 2 of the act are applicable to this part and
are repeated for convenience as follows.” 16 C.F.R.
§ 1500.3(b) (emphasis added).2 Essentially, by
incorporating the statutory definition of “banned hazardous
substance,” the rule does little more than save the reader
from having to turn back to the statute to look up the relevant
definitions. By simply copying and incorporating the
statutory definition into the federal regulation, the
Commission has not promulgated a “requirement . . . to
protect against a risk of illness or injury associated with a
hazardous substance” “under or for the enforcement” of
2
The regulation defining “banned hazardous substance” (16 C.F.R.
§ 1500.3), was promulgated under the authority of the FHSA. The
Commission’s regulations for implementing the CPSA are contained in
16 C.F.R. Parts 1101 through 1460.
14 AM. APPAREL & FOOTWEAR ASS’N, INC. V. BADEN
§ 1261(q). § 1261 note (b)(1)(B). In other words, the
Commission has not exercised any independent judgment to
trigger the preemption clause under the FHSA.
In some instances, the Commission has exercised its
independent judgment to promulgate regulations. See e.g.,
16 C.F.R. § 1303.1(a) (banning toys and other articles
intended for use by children that bear “lead-containing
paint” and furniture articles for consumer use that bear
“lead-containing paint”); 16 C.F.R. § 1500.18(a) (listing
fourteen specific toys as “banned hazardous substances”
because they present mechanical hazards). However, the
Commission has not promulgated regulations as to all 73
chemicals on the OHA list. Therefore, Appellants have
failed to establish “no set of circumstances exists under
which the Act would be valid.” Salerno, 481 U.S. at 745;
see also Puente Ariz., 821 F.3d at 1107–08.
Similarly, no federal regulation promulgated under the
CPSA exists that would preempt the OHA from regulating
all 73 HPCCCH. Indeed, the CPSA’s definition of a
“banned hazardous product” shows that Congress intended
for the Commission to use its expertise when banning a
product, substance, or material. The CPSA states that the
Commission may promulgate a rule declaring a “banned
hazardous product” when: (1) a consumer product is being,
or will be, distributed in commerce and such consumer
product presents an unreasonable risk of injury; and (2) no
feasible consumer product safety standard under this chapter
would adequately protect the public from the unreasonable
risk of injury associated with such product. 15 U.S.C.
§ 2057.
Congress intended the Commission to exercise judgment
and expertise when banning a product, substance, or
AM. APPAREL & FOOTWEAR ASS’N, INC. V. BADEN 15
material. But Appellants’ interpretation of the regulation
would render Congress’s careful restrictions on the
preemptive effect of the FHSA and CPSA meaningless
because it would absolve the Commission from having to act
by exercising any independent judgment. In Appellants’
view, the Commission triggers express preemption by
simply incorporating a statutory definition into the
regulations. This runs counter to the statutory text and
congressional intent —which provides for preemption when
the Commission has enacted regulations with discretion
using expertise and independent judgment. See Babbitt v.
Sweet Home Chapter of Cmtys. for a Great Or., 515 U.S.
687, 708 (1995) (holding that Congress delegated to the
Secretary of the Interior the power to regulate within his
sphere of expertise); John F. Manning & Matthew C.
Stephenson, Legislation and Regulation: Cases and
Materials 380–81 (3d ed. 2017) (presenting the agency
expertise rationale for congressional delegation). In
repeating the statutory definition, the Commission has not
exercised any independent judgment or expertise. Core to
our federalist system is the State’s right to enact its own
legislation in the absence of federal regulation. See New
State Ice Co. v. Liebmann, 285 U.S. 262, 311 (1932)
(Brandeis, J., dissenting) (“Denial of the right to experiment
may be fraught with serious consequences to the nation. It
is one of the happy incidents of the federal system that a
single courageous state may . . . serve as a laboratory; and
try novel social and economic experiments without risk to
the rest of the country.”).
With respect to the FHSA, precedent from our sister
circuits supports the understanding it was not meant to
preclude states from regulating all toxic chemicals that fall
within its scope. It is worth repeating the District Court’s
16 AM. APPAREL & FOOTWEAR ASS’N, INC. V. BADEN
citation to Toy Manufacturers of America, Inc. v.
Blumenthal:
The FHSA also permits a system of partial
preemption, under which, in an area in which
the Commission has not acted, state
regulations may supplement the regulations
adopted by the CPSC. . . . That is,
preemption obtains only where a state action
regulates the same “hazardous substance”
and the same “risk of illness or injury
associated with [that] hazardous substance”
which a FHSA regulation regulates.
986 F.2d 615, 617–18 (2d Cir. 1992) (emphasis added). The
Second Circuit concluded:
Here the Commission has not, subtly or
otherwise, manifested an intention to shut out
state action. Neither the actual words of the
CPSC regulations, the statements of the
Commissioners explaining their decision not
to issue additional regulations, nor any other
action by the Commission, indicates an intent
to establish a comprehensive scheme of or
assert exclusive control over the area of small
parts regulation.
Id. at 623. Our holding today fits comfortably within prior
case law.
Appellants contend that the general definitions in 16
C.F.R. § 1500.3(b) do more than serve convenience.
Appellants point to several cases where the Commission has
initiated enforcement proceedings pursuant to Section
AM. APPAREL & FOOTWEAR ASS’N, INC. V. BADEN 17
1261(q)(1)(A) of the FHSA, which includes a definition of
“banned hazardous substance” that is incorporated into 16
C.F.R. § 1500.3(b)(15), and not pursuant to any substance-
specific regulation. To reiterate, Section 1261(q)(1)(A) of
the FHSA defines banned hazardous substance as “any toy,
or other article intended for use by children, which is a
hazardous substance, or which bears or contains a hazardous
substance in such manner as to be susceptible of access by a
child to whom such toy or other article is entrusted.” The
Commission has enforced the FHSA under this provision
regardless of whether the Commission has issued a
regulation on the specific substance at issue. For instance,
in X-Tra Art v. Consumer Product Safety Commission, the
Commission initiated an enforcement action against the
maker of a rainbow shaving cream because it fit the
definition of a “banned hazardous substance” as defined in
Section 1261(q)(1)(A). 969 F.2d 793, 795–96 (9th Cir.
1992); see also United States v. Articles of Hazardous
Substance, 588 F.2d 39, 42 (4th Cir. 1978) (“Under FHSA,
a substance may be a ‘banned hazardous substance’ either
by meeting the statutory definition in Section 1261(q)(1)(A),
or by being so defined by regulation after formal rule-
making under Sections 1261(q)(1)(B) and (q)(2).”).
However, just because the Commission can enforce the
FHSA under Section 1261(q)(1)(A), does not mean that the
express preemption provision is triggered as to any
substance that might fall within that definition. The
takeaway from X-Tra and Articles of Hazardous Substance
is that Section 1261(q)(1)(A) can be used by the
Commission to proceed against manufacturers of hazardous
substances directly—i.e., in the absence of a regulation
targeting the substance at issue. But those cases do not hold
that incorporation of Section 1261(q)(1)(A)’s definition
18 AM. APPAREL & FOOTWEAR ASS’N, INC. V. BADEN
constitutes an independent act that triggers the FHSA’s
preemption clause. In short, enforcement does not equate to
preemption.
Therefore, according to the text, purpose, and precedent
under the FHSA and CPSA, we affirm the district court’s
holding that the express preemption provision has not been
triggered by merely restating the statutory definitions in the
Code of Federal Regulations.
Because the Commission has not acted to regulate all
chemicals on OHA’s list, the FHSA and CPSA do not, at
least on a facial challenge, expressly preempt the Oregon
statutory or regulatory provisions at issue. Appellants
cannot prove that “no set of circumstances exists under
which the Act would be valid.” Salerno, 481 U.S. at 745;
see also Puente Ariz., 821 F.3d at 1107–08.3
3
On appeal, Appellants argue that the district court erred in not
evaluating the preemption claim under the CPSA as an “as-applied”
challenge, to which Salerno would not apply. Upon review of the record,
the district court properly determined that Appellants were making a
facial challenge. Appellants represented many times to the district court
and to OHA that they were only bringing a facial challenge to the Notice
Statute, the Notice Regulation, and the Exemption Regulation. In their
Complaint, Appellants did not specifically seek relief for the sixteen
chemical compounds identified in regulations issued under the CPSA.
At oral argument in front of the district court, Appellants “acknowledged
that they [were] only bringing a facial challenge in this lawsuit . . . .”
Moreover, the district court did not consider an as-applied challenge
because there was no record to make such a determination. Discovery
would be necessary to determine, for example, whether Appellants have
standing to bring claims related to the sixteen chemicals they now claim
are at issue. Appellants declined to provide such discovery because they
represented they were not bringing an “as-applied” challenge.
AM. APPAREL & FOOTWEAR ASS’N, INC. V. BADEN 19
III. Implied Conflict Preemption
Alternatively, Appellants argue that the CPSA impliedly
preempts the Notice Statute, Notice Regulation, and
Exemption Regulation through principles of conflict
preemption. Implied conflict preemption “occurs where
(1) it is impossible to comply with both federal and state law,
or (2) where the state law stands as an obstacle to the
accomplishment and execution of the full purposes and
objectives of Congress.” Puente Ariz., 821 F.3d at 1103
(quotation and citation omitted). Appellants assert that any
non-identical state requirement in the TFKA and its
implementing regulations necessarily “stands as an obstacle
to the accomplishment and execution of the full purposes
and objectives of Congress.” See Hines v. Davidowitz, 312
U.S. 52, 67 (1941).
As stated above, Appellants claim that the challenged
provisions of the TFKA impose requirements that are not
identical to federal law. However, “[t]he mere fact that there
is tension between federal and state law is not enough to
establish conflict preemption.” MetroPCS Cal., LLC v.
Picker, 970 F.3d 1106, 1118 (9th Cir. 2020) (cleaned up).
Under both express and implied conflict preemption, “state
law is preempted ‘to the extent it actually interferes with the
methods by which the federal regulatory scheme was
designed to reach its goal.’” Metrophones Telecomms., Inc.
v. Glob. Crossing Telecomms., Inc., 423 F.3d 1056, 1073
(9th Cir. 2005) (alterations omitted) (quoting Ting v. AT&T,
319 F.3d 1126, 1137 (2003)).
Our analysis of implied conflict preemption is
“substantially identical” to our express preemption analysis,
because “[t]he presence of an express preemption provision
supports an inference that Congress did not intend to
20 AM. APPAREL & FOOTWEAR ASS’N, INC. V. BADEN
preempt matters beyond the reach of that provision.” Id. at
1072–73. We agree that by limiting the CPSA’s preemptive
effect to “consumer product safety standards” in the express
preemption provision, Congress’s scheme “clearly
contemplates that state and local regulation [of consumer
products] will continue until the Commission has acted.”
See Nat’l Kerosene Heater Ass’n v. Massachusetts, 653 F.
Supp. 1079, 1090 (D. Mass. 1986).
Moreover, as with express preemption, the Salerno
standard applies to conflict preemption. See, e.g., Puente
Ariz., 821 F.3d at 1104–05; CDK Glob. LLC v. Brnovich, 16
F.4th 1266, 1277 (9th Cir. 2021) (“Because this is a facial
challenge, it is [plaintiff’s] burden to show that every
possible application of the law would conflict with the
Copyright Act.”); Knox v. Brnovich, 907 F.3d 1167, 1177
(9th Cir. 2018) (applying the “no set of circumstances” test
to field and conflict preemption). Applying Salerno, the
district court held that the challenged provisions “are not
facially preempted because they have obvious constitutional
applications.” The district court reasoned that applications
of the Oregon provisions to those substances that the
Commission has not yet regulated are constitutional.
Because the TFKA is not preempted as to at least the 57
HPCCCH that are not identified in any regulations issued
under the CPSA, the district court correctly found that
Appellants’ implied conflict preemption challenge under the
CPSA fails. See Knox, 907 F.3d at 1180 (holding that when
state legislation imposes penalties for activities “excluded
from Congress’s regulatory scheme, it does not conflict with
that regulatory scheme”).
Therefore, for the same reasons that we conclude there is
no express preemption, we conclude that there is no implied
conflict preemption.
AM. APPAREL & FOOTWEAR ASS’N, INC. V. BADEN 21
CONCLUSION
For the foregoing reasons, we affirm the district court’s
dismissal.
AFFIRMED.
Plain English Summary
FOR PUBLICATION UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT AMERICAN APPAREL & No.
Key Points
01FOR PUBLICATION UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT AMERICAN APPAREL & No.
0223-35114 FOOTWEAR ASSOCIATION, INC.; HALLOWEEN INDUSTRY D.C.
033:21-cv- ASSOCIATION, INC.; JUVENILE 01757-SI PRODUCTS MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION, INC.; TOY ASSOCIATION, INC., DBA Safe to OPINION Play Coalition, Plaintiffs-Appellants, v.
04DAVE BADEN, in his official capacity as Interim Director of the Oregon Health Authority; ELLEN ROSENBLUM, in her official capacity as Attorney General for the State of Oregon's Department of Justice, Defendants-Appellees.
Frequently Asked Questions
FOR PUBLICATION UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT AMERICAN APPAREL & No.
FlawCheck shows no negative treatment for American Apparel & Footwear Association, Inc. v. Dave Baden in the current circuit citation data.
This case was decided on July 15, 2024.
Use the citation No. 10003336 and verify it against the official reporter before filing.