From ANIMAL PEOPLE, May 2006:

Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius on April 17, 2006 signed
into law the state’s first felony cruelty penalty. Persons convicted
of felony cruelty must serve at least 30 days in jail, pay a fine of
from $500 to $5,000, must undergo a psychological evaluation, and
must complete an anger management course before being released. The
law also requires persons convicted a second time of misdemeanor
neglect of animals to spend at least five days in jail.
Maine Governor John Baldacci on March 31, 2006 signed the
first state law specifically giving judges the authority to include
pets in a protective order against domestic violence. “Baldacci
called it ‘unconscionable’ that 76% of victims who seek safety at
domestic violence shelters report that their abusers either harmed or
threatened their pets as a tool to control and intimidate them,”
reported Sharon Kiley Mack of the Bangor Daily News. Anne Jordan of
the Maine Animal Welfare Advisory Council cited data published by the
California-based Latham Foundation showing that 87% of Wisconsin
domestic violence victims reported that animal abuse occurred in
their presence; 70% of animal abusers convicted in Massachusetts had
previous records for violent crimes; and animal abuse occurred in
88% of the families involved in New Jersey child abuse investigations.

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From ANIMAL PEOPLE, May 2006:

Utah Animal Rights Coalition members Eric Waters and David
Berg on March 1, 2006 sued representatives of six different state
agencies for allegedly violating their First Amendment right to
freedom of expression, one day after Utah Highway Patrol trooper
Preston Raban stopped them from leafleting outside the Utah state
capitol against two bills which would lower the minimum age for
hunting.
Waters and Berg are represented by Salt Lake City attorney
Brian Barnard, who has handled other high-profile civil rights cases
involving animal advocates.
“According to court documents, Raban told Berg and Waters
that handing fliers to anyone who didn’t ask for one was against
state law and was considered soliciting,” summarized Jennifer Dobner
of Associated Press. “The lawsuit also contends that Raban
threatened to arrest Berg and Waters.”

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, April 2006:

Oklahoma City vegetarian activist Alissa Finley on January
25, 2006 won dismissal of charges brought against her on October 18,
2005 in connection with her attempts to photograph the scene of a
truck accident at which police eventually shot as many as 60 injured
pigs by the roadside.
“Due to my very dedicated attorneys, the photos of the day,
and a 1965 U.S. Supreme Court decision against Birmingham, Alabama,
upholding a petitioner’s right to be on a public sidewalk, we have
maintained at least some First Amendment rights in Oklahoma,” Finley
e-mailed.
“Now, on to the civil suit.”
Elaborated Finley to ANIMAL PEOPLE, “Living in Okl-homa as a
vegan activist, I continually bump up against instances such as
this, which are clearly a violation of my civil rights due to what I
believe is prejudicial treatment against animal activists.”

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, April 2006:

FAIRFAX, Virginia–A Fairfax County Circuit Court jury on
March 15 found Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus owner Kenneth
Feld not guilty of illegally conspiring to infiltrate and harm People
for the Ethical Treatment of Animals between 1988 and 1998.
The verdict may not conclude a lawsuit that PETA first filed
in May 2001. PETA attorney Philip Hirschkop told Brian Westley of
Associated Press and Matthew Jones of the Norfolk Virginian-Pilot
that PETA would appeal. Hirschkop, soon to retire, later told
ANIMAL PEOPLE that the decision to appeal would have to be made by
PETA president Ingrid Newkirk–“But I know what I would do,” he said.
Hirschkop said the case was only the second loss of his
career in a jury verdict. “The jury asked for instructions from the
judge on the difference between harm and injury,” Hirschkop recalled.
“During the nine-day trial, Ringling internal documents
showed that the circus hired private investigators who infiltrated
animal rights groups, obtained credit card and other personal data,
and stole stacks of confidential papers, such as donor lists and
strategy memos,” summarized Tom Jackman of the Washington Post.

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