DES MOINES, IOWA — A federal district judge dismissed the latest challenge to an Iowa law which bans trespassers from using cameras or other recording devices inside livestock facilities.

The plaintiffs in this lawsuit were the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and the Iowa Citizen for Community Improvements.

The ruling was made by US District Court Chief Judge for the Southern District of Iowa Stephanie M. Rose who dismissed the lawsuit.

“Although speakers in public forums deserve robust protection for their chosen methods of communication, the First Amendment has never guaranteed trespassers the right to record while unlawfully present on another’s property,” Rose said in her ruling.

After the decision, Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird stated her support.

“Farmers should be able to farm without fear of trespassers,” Bird said. “That is why Iowa passed important laws to prevent trespassers from lying to get onto a property and hurt it, planting secret recording devices, or filming on the property they trespassed onto. I fought to defend those laws that strengthen security for farmers and property owners.”

During January 2024, the Eighth Circuit court upheld two of Iowa’s “ag-gag” laws.