In a triumph for animal welfare, the U.S. Court for the District of Kansas has ruled that the state’s “ag-gag” law violates the First Amendment and is therefore unconstitutional.
Challenged in 2018 by a coalition led by the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF), the law bans undercover investigators from taking photographs or filming animal facilities, such as slaughterhouses and factory farms, ultimately preventing the documentation of animal abuse.
On January 22, the U.S. Court for the District of Kansas rejected the state’s motion to dismiss the case and accepted the majority of the coalition’s motion for summary judgment, thus prohibiting Kansas from implementing the Ag Gag law.
ALDF maintains that the almost 30-year-old legislation prevents undercover activists from investigating inhumane conditions at animal facilities, stifling free speech. This enables unscrupulous companies to hide systemic animal abuse and avoid public scrutiny.
“For 30 years, Kansas lawmakers have suppressed whistleblowers from investigating cruel conditions on factory farms with this unconstitutional law,” explains ALDF Executive Director Stephen Wells. “Today’s decision is a victory for the millions of animals raised for meat on factory farms.”
ALDF explained the importance of undercover investigations in both regulatory practice and public informational awareness.
“It is critical that investigations are not suppressed,” the organization said in a statement. “The public relies on undercover investigations to expose illegal and cruel practices on factory farms and slaughterhouses. No Federal laws govern the condition in which farmed animals are raised, and laws addressing slaughter and transport are laxly enforced.”
“Undercover investigations are therefore the primary avenue through which the public receives information about animal agriculture operations,” ALDF continued. “Investigations also reveal health and worker safety violations. Factory farms and slaughterhouses are major polluters, so undercover investigations are important for learning about violations of environmental laws as well.”
This victory in Kansas follows other federal courts in Idaho, Iowa and Utah ruling that those states’ ag-gag laws also violate the U.S. Constitution.
What’s New…
We need to bring back Jury Nullification. Americans used to be able to rule by Jury on the law itself.
THAT is direct democracy.
This court that says this is unconstitutional needs to be removed for sure! It’s inhumane what the people in these places do to these animals ! Maybe those that do this to the animals and ignorant judge need to have this done to them let’s see if they will change the law then – as much food that goes to waste in this country they need to go green and stop murdering animals for food then waste the food ( a waste of life being ended for ignorance and greed ) .
horreur
Kudos for preventing this AG-GAG law. After all, if the ‘people’ who manage and work in the factory farming and slaughterhouse industries have NOTHING TO HIDE, what are they frightened of???? The public has a RIGHT TO KNOW what really goes on behind closed doors, especially with the regards of welfare and treatment of innocent, voiceless animals and birds.
APPLAUSE, APPLAUSE, for common sense and for protecting our right to know what goes on behind closed doors, when the victims are helpless, innocent, sentient beings, regardless of species. THANK YOU!!! ALDF AND KANSAS.
Enfin une justice sensée!!!Hélas c’est rare!!!
Feel the animals’ pain!
Can someone from ALDF please look at the Ontario gov, Ontario Bill 156. It’s an ag gag law that came into effect this year, with little mention from main stream media.
Destroy all those sadistic animal torturers all over the world. It would be better for the animals.
These must be worthless! It’s shit!e musts are worthless! It’s shit! Maybe the coronavirus can help!!!
I hope Californians will vote to make animal shelters no kill shelters
Please leave all animals alone, and turn vegan!!! Dont not eat any animals!!! Love them.instead!!! Have a heart!!! God is watching eveyone!!! He will judge all of you!!! Be afraid!!! Be very [email protected]
It figures! Like I have been saying forever the laws are useless and don’t care one bit about the plight of animals. They don’t care about their suffering. Governments, judicial system, the laws or lawmakers are full of greed and corruption so why should they stop something that they are profiting from. To think that they wouldn’t want investigators to film the truth and know the real deal of what’s really going on inside these farmhouses, slaughterhouses, factories, etc. No wonder animals have it so bad. Imbaciles rule and run the world. Wow it took only 30 years for things to start getting better for the animals. Oh well…. at least that’s a start. Have to be a little grateful for small favors.
At last. A court with a conscience!
Behandle dyr med respekt og omsorg!
BRAVO TO THE COURT’S THAT STRIKE DOWN THESE CORRUPT AND ILLEGAL RULINGS! you can’t run and you can’t hide Kansas. we’ll be watching, and that’s a fact!
This is what happens when corporate farming takes over individual family farming. The animals suffer unimaginable abuse. My German-Russian ancestors helped settle Kansas 144 years ago and now because of corporate farming it has a very depressed local economy. I witnessed this on a visit back to Victoria Kansas in 2019. Abolish Corporate farming and the prosper once again!
Thrilled to hear that the Ag-Gag bill was struck down by the courts!!
Undercover investigations are necessary. Otherwise we have conditions like “The Jungle” repeating themselves.
All this is so sad and cruelty towards farm animals,. These places need to be investigated. Please let the whistle blowers stay investigating.
Cruelty needs to STOP!
Praise the lord. More animals will be saved. More cruelty will be prevented. Hopefully more monsters will be punished.
Congratulations on your victory. Hopefully one of many!
Congratulations on a great victory. Hopefully one of many.
Congratulations on a great victory. Hopefully one of many.
It’s a fantastic thing.
Animal cruelty is NEVER, EVER acceptable, no matter where or how it happens!!! Anyone who is cruel to an animal or animals should be jailed for a VERY long time!!!
Cruelty to animals is outrageous no matter where it happens!!! For God’s sale STOP treating animals cruelly because it makes you less human and certainly less humane!!!
Those poor farmers and slaughterhouse owners….so scare that they won’t be able to torture their animals…won’t be able to rehire creeps to treat animals with violence and evilness. So scare to shut down operation from hell. So scare….so scare.
ISN’T STEVEN KING THE SENATOR FROM KANSAS ???
IF SO HE HAS A TERRIBLE REPUTATION.
No, he is from Iowa representing the 4th congressional district.
The public have a right to know what is going on in these dark, sadistic hell-holes. Another reason for going vegan, put them out of work to stop this cruelty.
YES!! Should have happened LONG ago!!
This should have been done a long time ago… thank you
THIS HAS TO BE REVERSED. CAN WE PETITION.
If people wake their conscience up and stop consuming feeling, bleeding animals like lifeless objects then there will not be any slaughter houses or animal farms. Just saying.
Well done ALDF who wouldn’t be able to do half as much for animals without donations. So if you can, please consider donating.
It’s about time!
It makes you wonder what they have got to hide, doesn’t it.
horreur
I don’t think much of Kansas turning a blind eye to animal abuse for 30 years
It’s nice that we get some good news for a change. I am so glad this law is no more. People and companies must be held accountable to the proper welfare of all animals.
Thsnku Kansas. Animals should be killed humanely. There is no need to be cruel to them. Anyone who treats an animal cruelky should be cruelly treated themselves.
Leanne, there is NO!! such thing as “humane” murder. All who consume the remains of these murdered victims are complicit in the horror.
It’s about time these agricultural states started treating animals properly. There is no excuse for abuse and as long as we keep eating meat, animals will be slaughtered, but the least we can do is give them a merciful and painless death since they are sacrificed for the meat eaters.
We have the right to report animal cruelty wherever it occurs. The Dept of Agriculture and lawmakers are on the side of animal growers, so they’re going to regulate on the side of their buddies. We cannot stop for a second because there’s no shortage of animal cruelty in the U.S. and abroad. The animals depend on us.