Animal Legal Defense Fund v. Otter
United States District Court for the District of Idaho
118 F. Supp. 3d 1195 (2015)
- Written by Kyli Cotten, JD
Facts
An undercover investigator working for the animal-rights group Mercy for Animals recorded a video of a cow being dragged by a chain and beaten at a dairy in Idaho. The video gained widespread recognition and led to calls to stop buying milk from said dairy farmers. In response, the Idaho Dairymen’s Association sponsored a bill in the Idaho legislature that would criminalize similar undercover investigations as interference with agricultural production. The legislature passed the bill, and Governor Otter (defendant) signed the bill into law as Idaho Code § 18-7042. The Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) (plaintiff) challenged the constitutionality of § 18-7042, claiming it violated free speech under the First Amendment and equal protection under the Fourteenth Amendment. The ALDF moved for summary judgment on their First and Fourteenth Amendment claims. Otter argued that § 18-7042 was not designed to suppress only speech critical of certain agricultural operations, but rather to protect private property and the privacy of agricultural facility owners.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Winmill, C.J.)
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