Source: National Agricultural Law Center
A federal judge has determined that an Iowa law which bans trespassers from using cameras or other recording devices to investigate livestock facilities is constitutional and should be upheld. According to the judge, the law represents a targeted approach that directly advances the state’s interests in protecting property rights while leaving animal rights groups the opportunity to legally “disseminate their message.”
The ruling came in response to a question that was put to the federal district court by the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals which had previously upheld an Iowa statute that makes it a crime to “place” a camera while trespassing on a livestock facility. However, the Eighth Circuit sent back to the lower court the question of whether Iowa could also prohibit the “use” of a camera or recording device while trespassing on a livestock facility.
The court’s ultimate conclusion that the law is constitutional could have implications for similar laws in other states. To read the court’s decision click here.
