Justin Pearson

"Vegan Burgers, Milk, and the First Amendment"

Wednesday, November 18th

12:15 pm

If you need an accommodation in order to participate in this event, please email Tamara Skinner at tskinner@uchicago.edu.

Justin Pearson is a Managing Attorney at the Institute for Justice in Florida. Mr. Pearson was the lead attorney in Chicago vegan food company Upton’s Naturals’ recent challenge to Mississippi’s ban on terms like ‘veggie burgers,’ which led Mississippi to completely reverse its position. Now he is representing Upton’s Naturals again in a related challenge in Oklahoma. Prior to those cases, Mr. Pearson was the lead attorney in the first victorious First Amendment challenge against a food standard of identity in U.S. history. In this talk, Mr. Pearson will address the national push by giant trade associations to ban terms like ‘almond milk’ and ‘veggie burgers.’ He will apply the lessons learned from his victories to show why, in his view, these restrictions violate the First Amendment. 

Zoom link