Defense of Chicago’s Foie Gras Ban
Illinois Restaurant Association v. City of Chicago
In 2008, the Animal Legal Defense Fund drafted an amicus curiae brief in support of Chicago's foie gras ban.
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Chicago repealed the ban in 2008
In 2006, Chicago’s City Council enacted a ban on the sale of foie gras, a “delicacy” produced by cruelly force feeding ducks and geese until their livers swell to many times their normal size.
The Illinois Restaurant Association, a restaurant trade group, filed a lawsuit in federal court challenging the ban. In 2007, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois dismissed the lawsuit.
The Illinois Restaurant Association appealed. In 2008, the Animal Legal Defense Fund petitioned for leave to file our amicus curiae brief in support of keeping the ban in place, and urging the Seventh Circuit to reject the restaurant association’s claim that the humane treatment of animals was not a legitimate local interest.
The Chicago City Council repealed the ban in 2008, rendering the appeal moot before the Seventh Circuit issued any ruling.
Foie gras is produced by force-feeding young birds until their livers swell to eight or more times their natural size.
Recent News
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Portland: Help Ban Foie Gras Sales
Proposed ordinance would prohibit the sale or provision of certain products made by force-feeding ducks and geese.February 3, 2022 Action Alert -
Lawsuit Settlement Reveals USDA Intended to Slaughter 1,000 Additional Geese in Denver
The USDA fought to keep the numbers hidden from public view, ultimately paying $15,000 in attorneys fees in settlementOctober 7, 2021 Press Release -
Lawsuit Challenges USDA Redaction of Geese Culling Contract
The Animal Legal Defense Fund filed a lawsuit against the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) over the agency’s critical redactions in a contract between the USDA’s Wildlife Services program and a Colorado slaughterhouse, outlining plans for slaughtering geese rounded up in parks across Denver.November 23, 2020 Press Release
Related Cases
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La Toque Restaurant Illegally Selling Foie Gras
Animal Legal Defense Fund v. LT Napa Partners, LLC
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Challenging USDA Redaction of Geese Culling Contract
Animal Legal Defense Fund v. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
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Challenging Arkansas’s Ag-Gag Law
Animal Legal Defense Fund v. Peco Foods, Inc. and Prayer Creek Farm
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