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September 16, 2010

Senate Judiciary Committee Holds Hearing Related to U.S. v. Stevens


The Senate Committee on the Judiciary held a hearing entitled “Prohibiting Obscene Animal Crush Videos in the Wake of United States v. Stevens.” This hearing was an outgrowth of the U.S. v. Stevens case, in which NSSF submitted an amicus brief and sounded the alarm about the case to the conservation world and outdoor media. The Supreme Court’s decision was based chiefly on the argument advanced by NSSF, other conservation groups and outdoor media that the statute at issue would criminalize depictions of hunting and the possession/sale of the same by dealers.

Nancy Perry, from the Humane Society of the United States, testified during the hearing that although she believed the original law in question did not apply to hunting videos, legislation could be tailored to address crush videos specifically and exclude hunting related materials.

The House has passed legislation (H.R. 5566), the Prevention of Interstate Commerce in Animal Crush Videos Act of 2010, which passed as a suspension bill on July 21. The measure is currently pending Senate consideration, and the Senate intends to write a companion bill.

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Categories: Government Relations