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Judge Says Humane Society Can Join Ohio Exotics Suit
By: Associated Press
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A judge has ruled in favor of allowing the Humane Society of the United States to join the state in defending Ohio's new law regulating exotic animals.
Four owners filed a lawsuit in Columbus federal court last month, contending the restrictions threaten their First Amendment and property rights.
The Humane Society argued it has a significant interest in defending the law that it strongly supported, as well as an interest in the lawsuit's outcome because the organization is pushing similar laws nationwide.
Federal Judge George Smith in Columbus on Monday ruled in favor of the group joining the suit.
The animal owners had opposed the move, contending the Humane Society's interests are political, and the group failed to demonstrate how the state wouldn't protect its interests.