Ending the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act

On March 12, 2009, Joseph Buddenberg, Mary Khajavi, Nathan Pope and Adriana Stumpo were indicted in Northern California, San Jose Division for conspiracy (18U.S.C. 371) and force, violence, and threats involving animal enterprises (18U.S.C. 43). Download the indictment (pdf).

On May 21, 2009, the Civil Liberties Center, Center for Constitutional Rights and other civil rights attorneys moved to dismiss the indictments (read the motion to dismiss pdf.) against 4 individuals charged under the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act (.doc) which labels the activist as "terrorists" even though they are charged with protesting, chalking the sidewalk, chanting and leafleting, and using "the internet to find information on bio-medical researchers." All of these are clearly and traditionally protected under the first amendmant. (Read more doc.)

On June 13, 2010, Judge Ronald M. Whyte of the Northern District of California dismissed the inditment against the four animal rights activists. The Court ruled that the US Government could not proceed under the current indictment because the charges were so vague and general as to fail to provide defendants with notice as to what they were alleged to have done to violate the law.