Ruling after Challenging North Carolina’s “Ag-Gag” Law

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit hands an important win to PETA and our co-plaintiffs in a lawsuit challenging North Carolina’s “ag-gag” law, ruling that whistleblowing and undercover investigations are considered newsgathering activities protected by the First Amendment. PETA and a coalition of public interest groups had filed the lawsuit challenging North Carolina’s “anti-sunshine” law—a statute that restricts such groups from conducting and publicizing undercover investigations by allowing employers and property owners to sue undercover investigators who seek to expose unethical or illegal activities in the workplace.