--- title: California Overturns Foie Gras Ban description: A federal judge in Los Angeles overturned a state law banning the sale of foie gras in California, ending a two-year-long ban canonical: https://time.com/3659012/california-foie-gras-ban/ author: Elizabeth Barber article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-01-08T06:36:07.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-22T03:23:26.400Z article:section: U.S. og:title: Foie Gras Returns to California og:description: A federal judge nixed a two-year ban on fatty goose and duck liver og:url: https://time.com/3659012/california-foie-gras-ban/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltca6e4f7e4f8e5d9f/698778c4cd68480e1a098fb7/foie-gras-ban_wong.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Foie Gras Ban og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Foie Gras Returns to California twitter:description: A federal judge nixed a two-year ban on fatty goose and duck liver twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltca6e4f7e4f8e5d9f/698778c4cd68480e1a098fb7/foie-gras-ban_wong.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # It's O.K. to Sell Foie Gras in California Again by [Elizabeth Barber](/author/elizabeth-barber/) ## Elizabeth Barber Jan 8, 2015 6:36 AM CUT  In this Aug. 9, 2006, file photo, a serving of salt-cured fresh foie gras with herbs is displayed at chef Didier Durand's Cyrano's Bistrot & Wine Bar in Chicago In this Aug. 9, 2006, file photo, a serving of salt-cured fresh foie gras with herbs is displayed at chef Didier Durand's Cyrano's Bistrot & Wine Bar in ChicagoM. Spencer Green—AP by [Elizabeth Barber](/author/elizabeth-barber/) ## Elizabeth Barber Jan 8, 2015 6:36 AM CUT A federal judge in Los Angeles on Wednesday [overturned](http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-foie-gras-ban-lifted-20150108-story.html "undefined") a state law banning the sale of foie gras in California, ending a two-year-long ban on the luxury food that had placated animal-rights groups but upset the state’s high-end restaurants and gourmands, the Los Angeles _Times_ reports. “It feels a little like December of 1933,” said chef Michael Cimarusti on Twitter, comparing the end of the ban to the time when alcohol became legal again in the U.S. after the Prohibition era. > [](https://twitter.com/cimarustila/status/552928093677944833) Animal-rights groups, who had supported a ban on a product made by force-feeding ducks and geese and harvesting their abnormally fattened livers, vowed on Wednesday to protest outside any restaurants who reinstate foie gras on their menus — and there are plenty planning to do just that. One chef told the New York _Times_: “I’m just very excited to have some [culinary freedom](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/07/dining/judge-overturns-california-ban-on-foie-gras.html "undefined") back.” U.S. District Judge Stephen V. Wilson ruled that the ban unconstitutionally interfered with federal law regulating poultry products. Animal-rights groups said Wednesday they would ask the California attorney general to seek an appeal. \[[_Los Angles Times_](http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-foie-gras-ban-lifted-20150108-story.html "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3659012/california-foie-gras-ban/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3659012/california-foie-gras-ban/"},"headline":"It's O.K. to Sell Foie Gras in California Again","datePublished":"2015-01-08T06:36:07.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T03:23:26.400Z","description":"Chefs and foodies rejoice","url":"https://time.com/3659012/california-foie-gras-ban/","keywords":["food and drink","California","Courts","poultry"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltca6e4f7e4f8e5d9f/698778c4cd68480e1a098fb7/foie-gras-ban_wong.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Elizabeth Barber","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/elizabeth-barber/"}],"articleSection":"U.S.","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltca6e4f7e4f8e5d9f/698778c4cd68480e1a098fb7/foie-gras-ban_wong.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Foie Gras Ban","caption":"Foie Gras Ban","creditText":"M. 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