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Schakowsky Responds to Supreme Court's Decision Not to Hear Appeal of Illinois Horse Slaughter Ban

June 16, 2008
For Immediate Release:
June 16, 2008
Contact: Peter Karafotas
(202) 226-6898

SCHAKOWSKY RESPONDS TO SUPREME COURT'S DECISION NOT TO HEAR APPEAL OF ILLINOIS HORSE SLAUGHTER BAN

Washington, D.C.–U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) released the following statement today in response to the U.S. Supreme Court's decision not to hear Cavel International's appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals' decision to uphold the constitutionality of Illinois' law to ban horse slaughter. The Cavel International Horse Slaughter plant located in Dekalb, Illinois was allowed to continue to operate during the first appeals process.

"Today's decision by the U.S. Supreme Court is a major victory for animal welfare advocates and horses. The decision finally puts a stop to Cavel's endless appeals to challenge the constitutionality of the Illinois law. For over a year, Cavel manipulated the legal process in order to continue slaughtering horses even though the plant knew it would eventually have to comply with the law. Unfortunately, thousands of American horses were slaughtered while Cavel tied up this issue in the courts.

While the Supreme Court's decision reinforces the right of states to ban horse slaughter, it also renews calls for a federal standard to eliminate the need for individual state bans and protracted legal battles. I hope that today's decision will inspire Congress to pass the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act. My bipartisan bill would ban horse slaughter in the U.S. and prohibit the export of horses for slaughter abroad. I urge my colleagues in Congress to follow Illinois, California and Texas by passing my bill and getting it signed into law....