Appeals court blocks enforcement of Kansas’ ‘ag-gag’ law

By ROXANA HEGEMAN
Associated Press

BELLE PLAINE, Kan. (AP) — A federal appeals court has blocked enforcement of provisions in a Kansas law that ban the secret filming at slaughterhouses and other livestock facilities. A three-judge panel of the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found that the statute seeks to stifle speech critical of animal agriculture. The panel on Thursday ruled that even if deception is used to enter private property, Kansas may not discriminate based on whether the person intends to harm or help the enterprise. The split decision upholds a permanent injunction issued last year by U.S. District Judge Kathryn Vratil. She found that the state’s “ag-gag” law unconstitutionally criminalized free speech.