Republican legislators across farm country have sought to silence animal welfare activists by making the undercover filming and reporting of farm animal abuse a crime. Not surprisingly, the first federal court to consider one of these laws has struck it down as an unconstitutional restraint of free speech. According to the Los Angeles Times, “The judge said that ‘the facts show the state’s purpose in enacting the statute was to protect industrial animal agriculture by silencing its critics.'” Read the story here.
Video: Republican legislators want to send people to prison for filming scenes like this. Not surprisingly, a federal judge has ruled that so-called “ag-gag” laws are unconstitutional.