HUGE victory!
Federal judge rules Iowa’s
‘Ag-gag’ law unconstitutional, citing violation of free speech.

"DES MOINES — Iowa’s controversial “ag-gag” law, which makes undercover investigations by journalists, food safety and labor advocates at slaughterhouses and factory farms illegal, is unconstitutional because it violates free speech rights, a federal judge ruled Wednesday.

The “agriculture production facility fraud” measure was passed with bipartisan support in the Iowa Legislature and signed into law in 2012 by then-Gov. Terry Branstad, who said he favored it because it was “important that we protect farmers from people who are trying to illegally disrupt their operations.”

But animal welfare activists, who were part of a lawsuit filed in 2017, said the law prevented them from documenting cruel and inhumane practices at facilities like farms, slaughterhouses and puppy mills.

In his ruling, U.S. Southern District of Iowa Senior Judge James Gritzner said that when the state seeks to regulate speech, “it bears the heavy burden of showing that the prohibition satisfies constitutional scrutiny.” He ruled the state had not met that burden — and questioned the state’s rationale for justifying the law."