Beating Animals Breaks Law. Now Trying to Expose It Does, Too

An undercover video taped in 2012 showed Idaho dairy workers beating cows, prompting criminal convictions. State lawmakers responded -- by banning undercover videos.

Activists citing the right to free speech want the Idaho law struck down, and a federal judge may rule on the case next month. The challenge is part of the pushback against rules in at least seven states, known to their opponents as “ag-gag laws,” that prohibit documenting conditions on animal farms. At the same time, lawmakers proposed new bills limiting documentation of farm conditions in five more states this year.