Washington, DC — Today, in a critical win for child safety, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit has upheld federal safety standards regulating high-power magnets, rejecting industry-backed efforts to overturn lifesaving consumer protections. The decision affirms the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s (CPSC) authority to regulate small, powerful magnet sets that are grave risks to children if ingested.

This ruling comes after the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition (NASPGHAN), American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS), American Pediatric Surgical Association (APSA), and American College of Surgeons (ACS) filed a friend-of-the-court brief in Magnetsafety.org v. Consumer Product Safety Commission, highlighting the severe and sometimes fatal consequences caused by high-powered magnet ingestion. Democracy Forward represents the amici in this case.

The lawsuit was brought by special interests and industry groups, who sought to eliminate the 2022 CPSC rule, and attack the agency’s constitutional authority to regulate consumer products. The court rejected their arguments, ensuring that essential protections remain in place to prevent life-threatening injuries to children.

“Today’s decision is an important win for children’s safety and a rejection of efforts to dismantle essential consumer protections,” said Skye Perryman, President and CEO of Democracy Forward. “The medical community has long warned of the catastrophic dangers of high-powered magnets. This ruling ensures that science, evidence, and public health—not corporate interests—prevail in protecting children from preventable harm.”

For more information, visit www.democracyforward.org 

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