Court Voids Animal-Cruelty Law

On the Bench

Updated Apr. 25, 2017 10:15AM EDT / Published Apr. 20, 2010 6:30AM EDT

Sorry, Fido: The Supreme Court struck down a federal law on Tuesday that banned videos showing graphic violence against animals, saying it violated the 1st Amendment’s right to free speech. The Court voted 8-1, with Justice Samuel Alito—a dog lover, perhaps?—surprisingly casting the only dissenting vote. The 1999 law was created to squelch “crush videos,” which showed women crushing small animals beneath bare feet of high heels; the case before the Court, meanwhile, dealt with a man who was convicted for making videos about pit bulls. His three-year prison sentence was thrown out.

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Court Voids Animal-Cruelty Law