Conference on Agricultural Gag Laws Scheduled for September 27

The Yale Law School Animal Legal Defense and the Connecticut Bar Association Animal Law Section will hold a conference on September 27 titled “The Agricultural Gag Laws—Your First Amendment Rights, Your Health, Animal Welfare, and Our Environment."

The conference will take place from 10 am to 5 pm at Yale Law School and is open to the Yale University community, the greater New Haven community, and all others interested in agricultural gag laws. Register here.

Currently, eight states have agricultural gag laws that criminalize whistleblowers who expose animal cruelty and food safety issues in farming practices through undercover investigations, and many other states have considered or are considering such legislation.

The aim of this year’s conference is to examine the impact that these laws have on freedom of speech, health, food safety, consumer advocacy, animal welfare, and the environment. The conference will bring together prominent individuals and activists from the animal law, food law, health law, and journalism fields. The keynote address will be delivered by the Humane Society of the United States CEO, Wayne Pacelle.

The conference is supported by the Zelia and Oscar Ruebhausen/Debevoise & Plimpton Fund. For a full list of speakers and more information, click here.