Barking up the wrong tree

The Third Circuit Court of Appeals was right in striking down a federal law concerning depictions of animal cruelty. The statute, 18 U.S.C. 48, is both overly-broad and vague. The First Amendment rights at stake are far too valuable to rely upon prosecutorial restraint for their protection, as argued by the government.

The U. S. Supreme Court, which heard argument yesterday in the case, U. S. v. Stevens, should affirm the Third Circuit's decision.