Court to Censor Cruelty?

The US Supreme Court is going to decide in the next few weeks whether depictions of animal cruelty are protected under the first amendment. The specific issue involves two videos for sale by a Virginia pit bull breeder. One is about dogs hunting wild pigs, and the other depicts legal dog fighting in Japan. The defendant, Robert Stevens, claims that these videos fall under free speech, but animal-rights activists argue that commercial exploitation of animal cruelty should be outlawed completely. Free speech advocates worry that changing the law will set a precedent that could lead to unfair censorship, and media lawyers are concerned it will threaten books and films that depict bullfighting, hunting, or horrific conditions inside a slaughterhouse.