A federal judge on Friday overturned Utah’s so-called “ag-gag” ban on filming private agribusiness and slaughterhouse operations without permission. US District Judge Robert Shelby said the measure, enacted in 2012, violated the First Amendment.
The named plaintiff, Amy Meyer, in 2013 faced up to six months in prison for filming—from the side of a public road—a sick cow being moved in a tractor at a slaughterhouse.
“I was shocked when I was the one charged with a crime instead of that animal’s abusers,” Meyer said after the ruling. “It should never be a crime to tell the story of an animal who is being abused and killed, even if it’s for food.”
Read 7 remaining paragraphs | Comments
Source: Ars Technica – Law banning filming Utah slaughterhouses ruled unconstitutional