Advocacy and the Animal Enterprise
Breaking in Boston: animal rights activists today filed a First Amendment challenge to the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act ("AETA"), which reportedly makes it a "terrorism" crime, among other things, to "intentionally damage[] or cause[] the loss of any real or personal property (including animals or records) used by an animal enterprise.”
The plaintiffs allege that the AETA chills them from advocating publicly for the rights of animals - a lawful activity t
Published by The Lawfare Institute
in Cooperation With
Breaking in Boston: animal rights activists today filed a First Amendment challenge to the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act ("AETA"), which reportedly makes it a "terrorism" crime, among other things, to "intentionally damage[] or cause[] the loss of any real or personal property (including animals or records) used by an animal enterprise.”
The plaintiffs allege that the AETA chills them from advocating publicly for the rights of animals - a lawful activity that, naturally, stands to cause "animal enterprises" like Glaxo or Ruth's Chris to lose "property" in the form of business profits.
Wells C. Bennett was Managing Editor of Lawfare and a Fellow in National Security Law at the Brookings Institution. Before coming to Brookings, he was an Associate at Arnold & Porter LLP.
