Federal Judge Upholds Maryland Law Targeting Puppy Mills
GREENBELT, Md. (CN) – Animal rights activists are applauding a federal judge’s decision to uphold a new Maryland law that bans retail pet stores from selling cats and dogs, a measure designed to curb puppy mills.
Emily Hovermale, Maryland state director for the Humane Society of the United States, said in an emailed statement Monday that her group was pleased with the ruling that she says “protects puppies and unsuspecting consumers from the horrors of puppy mills.”
The 79-page opinion issued Friday by U.S. District Judge Ellen Lipton Hollander found the No More Puppy-Mill Pups Act of 2018, which went into effect Jan. 1, does not violate the U.S. Constitution’s Commerce Clause or pet shop owners’ equal protection rights.
“Plaintiffs have not adequately alleged that the Puppy-Mill Act is the rare statute that regulates evenhandedly but imposes significant burdens on interstate commerce,” the Barack Obama appointee wrote. “Although the Act prohibits brick-and-mortar stores from participating in the sale of cats and dogs, consumers still have a plethora of choices when seeking to obtain a pet, including rescue shelters, animal control units, USDA licensed breeders and brokers, and unregulated hobby breeders.”
https://www.courthousenews.com/federal-judge-upholds-maryland-law-targeting-puppy-mills/
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