A federal judge has ruled that the Montana Beef Council should first get permission from ranchers to spend marketing fees it collects on behalf of the government, according to an ongoing First Amendment lawsuit.
The ruling is part of a lawsuit brought last year by Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund, United Stockgrowers of America, or R-CALF USA, to challenge a fee program administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
U.S. District Judge Brian Morris upheld an injunction that bars the Council from automatically collecting funds from the Beef Checkoff Program.
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