Law Banning Depictions of Animal Cruelty Overturned

The government had argued that showing animals being mutilated, tortured or killed was so explicit that it should be banned. But today Chief Justice John Roberts, writing for the majority, said "We disagree."
"The First Amendment itself reflects a judgment by the American people that the benefits of its restrictions on the Government outweigh the costs," Roberts said.
. . . In his opinion Justice Roberts acknowledged that the First Amendment has "permitted restrictions upon the content of speech in a few limited areas" such as obscenity, defamation and fraud, but that the depictions of animal cruelty should not be added to the list.
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Supr...-animal-cruelty-dog-fighting/story?id=9536559

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Oh, so torturing animals is "free speech"???? :banghead:

I am glad someone started a thread on this. The supreme court overturned it 8-1. Only one justice believed that two of the examples the defendant was being charged with absolutely rose to the same levels that child *advertiser censored* are banned under in spite of free speech.

In other words, because the law was badly written, it is no longer against the law to film and then distribute snuff films of any animal. Fetish videos where woman stomp to death small animals? Check. Any reproduction of an animal being tortured or dismembered? Check. Dog fighting, bear baiting? check.

I hope Congress get's a fix in place ASAP. Because the guy who triggered this case is walking away scott free. It is head shaking.

STEADFAST said:

Oh, so torturing animals is "free speech"???? :banghead:

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Yes. I agree the law was badly written, because Animal Planet films could have been prosecuted under the guidelines of the law. But it was a good start. And now it is all gone. Struck down and good by.

Animal cruelty is illegal so why is distributing films depicting real animal cruelty not illegal? It should be and I'm dumbfounded about the overturning of this law. I also found out that NPR was one of the media outlets that submitted briefs to the court supporting the overturning of this law. NPR has received its last dime from me ever. I wont support any organization who would support the over turning of a very sensible and neccesary law.

So the Supreme Court is encouraging people to film and sell animal abuse? Animal Control works so hard to stop abuse and then you have the highest court approving it. This is one of the reason why our country's thinking is so messed up.

:furious::furious::furious::furious::furious::furious::furious::furious:....

I have no words.:furious::furious: