Weho Ban on Fur Sales Upheld by Judge

A federal judge has upheld West Hollywood's ban on the sale of fur apparel, according to an opinion obtained today.

In rejecting claims that the ban was unconstitutional, U.S. District Judge George H. King wrote that West Hollywood's intent to promote awareness of animal welfare by prohibiting fur sales was "legitimate."

King's opinion cited a brief filed by the Humane Society of the United States.

"West Hollywood is one of the nation's most animal-friendly cities -- a notion that's just incompatible with the inhumane treatment of fur-bearing animals," said Ralph Henry, deputy director of the society's Animal Protection Litigation Group.

"We applaud the court's decision to uphold the city's groundbreaking ordinance," he said. "The ruling makes clear that the Constitution does not prevent West Hollywood or any other city from using its lawmaking powers to protect animals by prohibiting the sale of cruelly-produced products."

The city's ban on fur apparel sales was approved in fall 2011, and went into effect two years later.

--City News Service