Animal Legal Defense Fund v. Wasden
The Animal Legal Defense Fund and other organizations challenged Idaho Code Ann. § 18-7042, known as an “ag-gag” statute, as unconstitutional under the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution. The law criminalizes audio and video recording at agriculture facilities. The U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho struck down the law. The Reporters Committee and 22 media organizations filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in support of Plaintiffs-Appellees. The brief argues that journalists and whistleblowers who serve as their sources have improved food safety and agriculture facility conditions through the years by exposing violations. Idaho’s “ag-gag” statue infringes upon the First Amendment rights of those seeking to disseminate information to the public about food safety, the treatment of animals, and environmental concerns. Amici also stress the unconstitutionality of the law under the First Amendment as a content-based restriction on speech that cannot overcome strict scrutiny.