If you're an animal lover, this is terrible news:
Ban on animal cruelty and 'crush' videos struck down by Supreme Court
Videos of dog fighting, animal crushing and other forms of animal cruelty are no longer illegal and are protected under the rights of free speech.
The Supreme Court today truck down a federal law that banned the sale and marketing of such videos in an 8-1 vote.
The justices said the scope of the Depiction of Animal Cruelty Act is overly broad.
The case before the high court involved a Virginia man who sold videos through an underground magazine that promotes illegal dog fighting. (See video below) The videos in question show pit bulls attacking wild and domestic pigs, as well as each other.
Chief Justice John Roberts said congressional supporters of the law did not prove that dog fighting images warrant exclusion from free speech protection. Currently, child pornography is the only category denied such protection.
Justice Samuel Alito is the only justice who voted to uphold the law.
He expressed concerns over the production and dissemination of "crush" videos which show women in spiked heels stomping puppies, kittens and other small animals to death. The Humane Society of the United States notes it had uncovered a subculture of crush videos at the time it worked to enact the Depiction of Animal Cruelty Act ten years ago.
The Humane Society issued a statement expressing disappointment at today's court ruling but said there is "optimism that Congress will be allowed to draft a more narrowly crafted statute to
crack down on the sale of videos showing illegal acts of animal cruelty, including crushing of small animals for sexual gratification and dogfighting."
Locally, there's a wonderful organization called the Dog Advisory Work Group (D.A.W.G.) that works with the community and through the courts to stem illegal dog fightings.
Just yesterday, Chicago police announced the arrests of 8 alleged gang members who were fighting dogs inside a home on the West Side. Three of the dogs were so grievously hurt they had to be destroyed. Another dog was found locked in a car trunk until he could be put in the ring to fight - click here for that story
Below is an ABC News reports on the case the Supreme Court voted on today. As Charlie Gibson notes in his introduction, some of the images are graphic.
Ban on animal cruelty and 'crush' videos struck down by Supreme Court - VIdeo