Federal judge declares Kansas “ag-gag” law unconstitutional
Last Wednesday, a federal judge declared unconstitutional a Kansas law that criminalizes the secret filming of slaughterhouse facilities, The Wichita Eagle reports. The ruling stems from a December 2018 lawsuit filed by a coalition of animal welfare activists, who argued that state’s “ag-gag” law, which was enacted in 1990, violated the First Amendment. In her ruling, the judge noted that the law “discriminates based on viewpoint.” A federal judge struck down a similar law in Iowa last year. Meanwhile, similar lawsuits have been filed in big ag states like Arkansas and North Carolina. Is the Kansas ruling a bellwether of judgments to come?
