Cities Can't Ban Plastic Bags, Rules Texas Supreme Court

Governing: Backing businesses over environmentalists, the Texas Supreme Court on Friday said cities like Austin may not ban retailers from providing customers with disposable bags at the checkout counter.

In a unanimous ruling, the state's highest civil court said bag bans run afoul of a state law that prohibits cities from trying to reduce waste by banning "containers" and "packages." Although the terms are not defined in the law, their plain meaning must be read to include bags, the court ruled.

Read article