District Court Judge Amit Mehta rejected a request from three tobacco companies to remove himself from the lawsuit challenging more restrictive packaging regulation, the Winston-Salem Journal said.

Altria, Reynolds American and the ITG Brands subsidiary of Imperial Tobacco asked Mehta to recuse himself because the law firm where he was a partner prior to being made a federal judge in Washington D.C. advised an anti-tobacco group, the newspaper said. Mehta reportedly replied he had no direct involvement with the group and that it was unlikely to be a party in the dispute.
Food and Drug Administration rules requiring pre-approval of changes made to tobacco packaging triggered the suit, which was refiled in September after the FDA reviewed and revised the rules. Tobacco companies contend they should be able to make packaging changes without restriction.