...The law “is part of a national effort to crack down on environmental activists across the U.S.,” the Center for Constitutional Rights, which represents White Hat, Savage and Mejia, said in Thursday’s news release. It said the first was passed in Oklahoma in 2017, and said similar bills have been introduced 23 times in 18 states since 2017, including 14 in 2019.

“This law is extremely dangerous,” said attorney Pam Spees of the Center for Constitutional Rights.

It violates the First Amendment because it makes people more reluctant to speak out, she said. ...

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