Austin continues to dismantle No Kill safety net
In other news: Public universities cannot censor comments in defense of animals. Stray and homeless dogs targeted across the globe. Another week, another dangerous pet product. Like people, older cats can develop dementia. Another New York City “carriage” horse collapses and dies. Another NFL dog abuser convicted. Do you have what it takes to save lives? Communities are looking for someone to run their animal shelters.
These are some of the stories making headlines in animal protection:
Public universities cannot censor comments in defense of animals
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit ruled that the University of Wisconsin–Madison, a public university, violated the First Amendment by censoring online comments critical of its animal research practices.
The case, Madeline Krasno v. Jennifer Mnookin, arose after Krasno — a former UW–Madison student and primate caretaker — repeatedly posted comments on the university’s official Facebook and Instagram accounts condemning its use of animals in research and describing inhumane conditions in the labs. Many of her remarks were hidden or automatically blocked. In some instances, her entire Instagram account was restricted, causing all her comments to vanish from public view.
At the heart of the dispute was the university’s combination of comment moderation and automated keyword filters. These filters targeted terms such as “animal testing,” “cruelty,” “monkeys,” and “torture.” The result, the court found, was that an entire viewpoint was disproportionately silenced.
The decision serves as a warning to public institutions and elected officials: social media comment sections that are open to the public are subject to First Amendment protections and must allow all sides of an issue to be expressed. Citizens not only have a First Amendment right to speak out against government policies with which they disagree, but they also have a constitutionally protected right to demand that the government correct the identified wrongs.
As the U.S. Supreme Court has consistently ruled, “speech on public issues occupies the ‘highest rung of the hierarchy of First Amendment values’ and is entitled to special protection.” Indeed, such speech lies “at the heart of the First Amendment’s protection.” When animal lives are at stake, hiding or removing comments critical of policies that favor inhumane practices and animal mistreatment by government actors is even more egregious, given the life and death consequences.
For more information on how the First Amendment is a powerful tool to protect animals in labs, in “shelters,” on factory farms, and other institutions of exploitation and harm, click here.
Stray and homeless dogs targeted across the globe
