August, 22 2018, 12:00am EDT

Victory! Court Rejects Trump Administration's Claim that Organic Animal Standards Withdrawal Cannot be Challenged
Case challenging withdrawal of organic animal welfare regulations moves forward
WASHINGTON
Yesterday, the federal court for the Northern District of California issued a decision concluding that Center for Food Safety's (CFS's) legal challenge to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) withdrawal of organic animal welfare provisions could proceed.
"We are very gratified that the Court agrees we can challenge the unlawful withdrawal of these hard-won animal care protections in organic production," said George Kimbrell, CFS legal director and counsel in the case. "The Trump administration unlawfully reversed 28 years of well-settled organic law and policy. We look forward to protecting the public's right to a meaningful organic seal."
In March, seven nonprofit organizations, led by CFS, sued the Trump administration's USDA and Secretary Sonny Perdue, challenging its decision to withdraw the organic standards for animals on certified organic farms, called the "Organic Livestock and Poultry Practices" rule. The regulation, finalized by the Obama USDA in early 2017, strengthened the requirements for the care and well-being of animals on organic farms. Most notably, it ensured adequate space and outdoor access for organic poultry by establishing clear and enforceable minimum spacing requirements and specifying the quality of outdoor space that must be provided. The regulation was the culmination of over a decade of work by organic stakeholders and the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB). The Trump administration delayed the final rule's effective date three times, and then formally withdrew it.
The Court's decision rejected arguments from USDA that the nonprofits did not have legal standing to challenge the withdrawal decision. The Court held that the withdrawal of the rule that set organic animal welfare standards injures the organizations' members because it "undermines the organic label" for consumers.
"The National Organic Coalition is thrilled to see our legal challenge move forward," said Abby Youngblood, executive director at the National Organic Coalition. "The Organic Livestock and Poultry Practices rule represents more than a decade of work to clarify and improve animal welfare standards in organic and has the support of thousands of stakeholders, including farmers, consumer advocacy groups, and other members of the organic industry. With this decision comes the recognition that USDA has long exercised its authority under OFPA to implement regulations regarding the care of organic livestock."
In the withdrawal decision, USDA claimed the rules could not be issued because it lacked authority to regulate practices such as animal space and preventative livestock health care, a complete reversal of the legal and policy positions USDA has held since the beginning of a federal organic standard, and what organic consumers and farmers expect. Trump's USDA also claimed that the regulations would be costly, despite USDA's own economic analysis finding only minor costs, and refused to involve its expert body, NOSB, in its withdrawal decision, for the first time ever. In yesterday's decision, after finding standing for the plaintiffs, the Court also dismissed two of the claims brought, but gave the Plaintiffs leave to amend one of them, having to do with USDA's failure to involve NOSB. Two other claims, regarding the USDA's two main rationales for the withdrawal described above, were unchallenged by the motion and will also go forward.
CFS, as well as tens of thousands of organic consumers and farmers, expressed nearly unanimous opposition to the proposed rule withdrawal in January. A 2018 survey by Consumers Union found that 9 out of 10 respondents who regularly buy organic foods believe that it is very or extremely important that organic animals come from farms with high standards for welfare practices.
"USDA's attempt to strip improved animal welfare requirements out of the organic standards defies common sense and decency," said Peter Brandt, managing attorney for farm animal litigation at the Humane Society of the United States. "The agency's callous disregard for animal welfare may also seriously hurt organic farmers when consumers discover they are not getting the humane care they expect from an organic product."
Represented by CFS legal counsel, the plaintiffs are Center for Food Safety, Center for Environmental Health (CEH), Cultivate Oregon, International Center for Technology Assessment, the National Organic Coalition, the Humane Society of the United States, and the Animal Legal Defense Fund. In 2016, CFS and CEH successfully sued over a USDA loophole that would have allowed pesticide-contaminated compost in organic production, a case relied upon by the Court in yesterday's decision.
Center for Food Safety's mission is to empower people, support farmers, and protect the earth from the harmful impacts of industrial agriculture. Through groundbreaking legal, scientific, and grassroots action, we protect and promote your right to safe food and the environment. CFS's successful legal cases collectively represent a landmark body of case law on food and agricultural issues.
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'We Don't Do Kings': Mass Protests Planned to Counter Trump's Birthday Military Parade
"Donald Trump wants to spend tens of millions of taxpayer dollars to throw himself a big fancy parade with tanks in the streets," said one organizer. "This is straight out of the authoritarian playbook."
May 06, 2025
Pro-democracy campaigners late Monday announced a nationwide "No Kings" day of defiance on June 14—the same day U.S. President Donald Trump plans to hold a birthday military parade more befitting a dictator than an elected head of state.
More than 100 "No Kings" events have already been registered across the U.S., with many more expected in the weeks ahead of the day of action.
See the full list of planned events and locations here.
"Donald Trump wants to spend tens of millions of taxpayer dollars to throw himself a big fancy parade with tanks in the streets," explained Ezra Levin, co-executive director of Indivisible, on Monday's broadcast of The Rachel Maddow Show. "This is straight out of the authoritarian playbook. He wants to project strength. He wants everybody to think that he is all-powerful. That he rules the world."
"He doesn't," Levin added. "Real power is not in D.C. It's distributed all across the country. And what we're looking to do on No Kings Day is to say, look—Donald Trump does not own the flag. He does not own patriotism. In fact, we can all show up in opposition to a king in this country."
The event's website says the goal of the mass demonstrations is to show that "from city blocks to small towns, from courthouse steps to community parks, we're taking action to reject authoritarianism."
"In America, we don't do kings," the website states. "On June 14th, we're showing up everywhere he isn't—to say no thrones, no crowns, no kings."
News of the latest mass mobilization against Trump and his far-right agenda came days after the U.S. Army confirmed plans for a parade on June 14—the Army's 250th birthday and Trump's 79th.
"The Army anticipates featuring 150 vehicles, 50 aircraft, and 6,600 soldiers," The Washington Postreported, citing an Army spokesperson. "The parade will accompany a fireworks display and a day-long festival on the National Mall with military demonstrations, musical performances, and a fitness competition."
The price tag for such festivities could be massive, with two unnamed defense officials tellingNBC News that it could be as high as $45 million. In an interview that aired over the weekend, Trump called the potential cost "peanuts compared to the value of doing it."
"We have the greatest missiles in the world," Trump declared. "We have the greatest submarines in the world. We have the greatest army tanks in the world. We have the greatest weapons in the world. And we're going to celebrate it."
U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) said in a statement Monday that "this would be an unprecedented waste of money to please this self-absorbed con man, and the public should make clear it's unacceptable."
"The egotist-in-chief wants taxpayers to foot the bill for a military parade on his birthday," said Cohen, the lead sponsor of legislation that would "prohibit the use of federal funds for a military parade in the District of Columbia intended for the personal celebration of President Donald J. Trump, and for other purposes."
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The Trump family's net worth has reportedly grown by $2.9 billion over just the past six months thanks to crypto-related investments, and creators of the president's meme coin have raked in hundreds of millions from trading fees as people rush to purchase access to Trump. Late last month, a shipping logistics firm announced that it planned to purchase $20 million worth of $TRUMP coins as it seeks tariff relief.
"Those responsible for upholding the law, from federal prosecutors to members of Congress, can only ignore this at the expense of their own personal legacies."
The watchdog group Public Citizen said Monday that Trump's promotion of the private dinner for investors in his meme coin "is a crime with no immunity."
"Federal criminal law (18 U.S.C. § 201; 5 C.F.R. § 2635) forbids the president from soliciting gifts; as this is not a presidential act, he does not enjoy immunity from prosecution," the group noted, alluding to the U.S. Supreme Court's sweeping immunity decision last year.
Bartlett Naylor, Public Citizen's financial policy advocate, said in a statement that "Trump's ongoing meme grift squats at the crest of his mountain of conflicts, corruptions, and debasements of the presidency."
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This is a breaking story… Please check back for possible updates...
Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ended a week of speculation on Monday by announcing that she will not seek the ranking member position on the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
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