Critical Caselaw: Using the First Amendment to Protect Animals & Advocates
Presented 6/16/21
The guarantee of free speech enshrined in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is critical to the animal protection movement’s ability to expose, advocate against, and end animal mistreatment. Animal advocates’ civil liberties are under constant attack by those who practice and profit from animal abuse, and by lawmakers and government officials beholden to these interests. Meanwhile, innovative entrepreneurs looking to disrupt animal-abusing industries are targeted and their messages gagged.
Join Kelsey Eberly, Animal Legal Defense Fund Senior Staff Attorney, as she explores the applicable legal canons and arguments employed to vindicate activists’ rights, protect robust animal advocacy, and empower entrepreneurial innovation for animals. From attacking Ag-Gag laws to ensuring citizen-journalist monitoring of illegal hunting, from fighting plant-based product censorship to protecting social media animal advocacy in public fora, tune in to hear how First Amendment litigation is helping ensure animals’ stories are told and their abuse exposed.
This webinar has been pre-recorded. Watch it now!
Resources
- Animal Legal Defense Fund’s Litigation Program
- Ag-Gag Laws
- Defending Our Rights Under the Texas Anti-SLAPP Statute (Landry’s, Inc. v. Animal Legal Defense Fund)
- Challenging Missouri’s Meat Labeling Law (Turtle Island Foods v. Richardson)
- Challenging Arkansas’s Meat Labeling Law (Turtle Island Foods v. Soman)
- Challenging University of Wisconsin’s Censorship of Speech on Social Media (Krasno v. Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin)
- Critical Caselaw – Using the First Amendment to Protect Animals & Advocates PPT Presentation (PDF)
Sign Up!
Join the Animal Legal Defense Fund's email list to stay up to date on lawsuits, legislation, and regulations affecting animals.
Related
-
Court Rules Texas Food Label Censorship Law is Unconstitutional
The law imposed unclear and vague standards on plant-based meat producers that violate the First AmendmentJanuary 29, 2026 Press Release -
State Animal Protection Laws Ranked: Oregon is #1, North Dakota #50
20th edition of ALDF state and territory ranking report highlights major advancements & trends in animal protection across the U.S.January 27, 2026 News -
Over 30 Organizations Urge USDA to Limit Federal Support for Manure Digesters
Hundreds of millions of dollars intended to cut energy costs have been funneled to costly manure digesters, benefitting the largest factory farmsJanuary 15, 2026 News
