Hunt v. Washington State Apple Advertising 432 U.S. 333 (1977) North Carolina enacted a law requiring all importers of apples to label their containers with the USDA grade, and prohibiting the display of State grades. Washington apple producers sued, claiming that the North Carolina law was discriminatory against their apples. Washington used apple standards that were superior to those used by the USDA, and the North Carolina law would not allow them to effectively advertise how good their apples were compared to the North Carolina apples. The US Supreme Court found that North Carolina's law needlessly discriminated against Washington apple producers while working to the advantage of local North Carolina apple growers. The US Supreme Court found that this law appeared facially neutral, but still had a discriminatory effect. The Court found that this was a violation of the Dormant Commerce Clause, and was therefore unconstitutional.