In brief California’s Proposition 12 (Prop 12) establishes new standards for confinement of certain farm animals, including egg-laying hens, veal calves, and breeding pigs.1 Under the law, it is illegal to participate in the commercial sale (including by restaurant and other food service establishments) if the business owner or operator knows or should know that […]
Supreme Court weighs California foie gras ban appeal
WASHINGTON − Sometimes the same issue crops up again and again on the Supreme Court’s docket − Obamacare, for instance, or immunity for police officers accused of excessive force. And sometimes the issue is foie gras. More than a decade after California banned the sale of the French delicacy because it is made by force-feeding […]
Breaking: Supreme Court upholds strongest farm animal protection law in U.S.
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block We are thrilled that after months of tireless efforts and unwavering dedication, we have emerged victorious in our landmark Supreme Court defense of California’s Proposition 12. The decision, announced earlier today, upholds the nation’s strongest farm animal protection law and unanimously rejects the pork industry’s primary constitutional claim. The […]
The United States Supreme Court Upholds California’s Prop 12
The United States Supreme Court has taken the side of animals and California’s voters with a decision to uphold Proposition 12 (Prop 12) with a 5-4 majority. By ruling in favor of Prop 12, the U.S. Supreme Court has not only cleared the way for the law to fully take effect, it has also set […]
Major U.S. Supreme Court ruling expected any day on animal welfare
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block Any day now, the Supreme Court of the United States could issue its ruling in one of the most important court cases in the history of the animal protection movement—one that could have implications for the quality of life of millions of farmed animals. First, a little background, in […]
Golden Gate Fields owners can sue animal-rights group that disrupted races, state Supreme Court says
The state Supreme Court refused Wednesday to block a lawsuit by owners of Golden Gate Fields against an animal-rights group that allegedly recruited protesters to lie down on the racetrack last year and chain themselves together, briefly bringing horse racing to a halt. In March 2021, four demonstrators climbed a fence to enter the north […]
Pigs’ day in (the Supreme) Court
By Jon Lovvorn Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments about Proposition 12, California’s landmark law to address animal cruelty and public health issues stemming from the worst factory farming practices, such as confining pregnant pigs in gestation crates so small they can hardly move. Jon Lovvorn, senior vice president and chief counsel for […]
Breaking: U.S. Supreme Court just heard arguments in historic case for animals
By Kitty Block and Sara Amundson Today the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments on the most consequential law ever passed in relation to the treatment of farm animals, California’s Proposition 12. Passed by voters in 2018, Proposition 12 bans the extreme confinement of mother pigs, egg-laying hens and baby calves, and outlaws the sale of […]
California’s Prop 12 Challenged in the U.S. Supreme Court
On Tuesday, October 11, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments regarding California’s Proposition 12 (“Prop 12”). This is in response to the National Pork Producers Council’s lawsuit challenging the law. Prop 12, formally titled the “Prevention of Cruelty to Farm Animals Act,” passed in California in 2018. The law received overwhelming support, with […]
Breaking: More experts join forces in key U.S. Supreme Court case for animals
By Kitty Block and Sara Amundson Last week we wrote about the briefs submitted to the U.S. Supreme Court by the Humane Society of the United States, our allied animal welfare organizations and the state of California in a lawsuit brought by the National Pork Producers Council, aimed at overturning vital provisions addressing animal welfare, […]