14 DAY TRIAL // The Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) made history when challenging the constitutionality of Utah's ag gag laws in court.
The two animal rights groups have recently filed a first-of-its-kind lawsuit against ag gag legislation now up and running in Utah.
They claim that such laws are unconstitutional, and that they go against the First Amendment.
More precisely, ag gag laws are argued to abolish the free speech rights of US citizens.
“The Animal Legal Defense Fund, along with PETA, has filed the nation’s first lawsuit against ag gag legislation, taking Utah to court for infringing on the free speech rights of activists, investigators, and journalists by criminalizing undercover investigations at factory farms,” the ALDF writes in a statement on its official website.
“Utah’s ag gag law aims to prevent animal advocates and law enforcement from collecting evidence of egregious and illegal abuse of animals on factory farms,” the organization goes on to say.
For those unaware, ag gag laws make it illegal for either journalists or ordinary folks to carry out undercover investigations that help collect evidence about and eventually report cases of animal abuse.
This means that, in states that have passed ag gag laws, factory farms are free to treat animals as cruelly as they see fit without having to worry about the fact that their inhumane practices might be exposed.
The animal rights activists and journalists listed as plaintiffs in this lawsuit also fear that, in some cases, factory farms will also break food safety, workers' rights and environmental standards.
Otherwise put, protesting ag gag laws is not just about keeping animals safe.
“Ag gag laws make it impossible to report stories that are vitally important to the public,” journalist Will Potter points out.
“There’s a long history of investigative journalism in this country based on exactly the type of research and whistleblowing that these laws criminalize,” he further details.
More information on the topic is expected to be shared with the public in the days to come.