US v. Stevens, a case that raised First Amendment concerns about a federal statute intended to outlaw the animal cruelty, was argued in front of the Supreme Court on October 6. The justices generally seemed skeptical of the statute, asking questions and presenting hypotheticals that pointed to possible overbreadth of the law’s language.
AAUP joined librarians, publishers, writers, and other media groups in an amicus brief urging the court to declare this statute unconstitutional, in view of the danger it poses to First Amendment protections.
AAUP statement: http://www.aaupnet.org/news/press/stevens.html
A decision is not expected until early 2010.
“Court seems hostile to law against animal-cruelty depictions”
Analysis by Tony Mauro, First Amendment Center:
http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/analysis.aspx?id=22169