Texas Telehealth Veterinarian Wins Speech Suit Over Emailed Care

A Texas law that requires veterinarians to physically examine an animal before treating it violates the free speech rights of a veterinarian who gave pet owners advice by email, the Fifth Circuit said Thursday.

The law regulated Ronald Hines’ speech without achieving an important state interest, the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit said.

“The State has failed to show that the harms it seeks to address with the physical-examination requirement are real,” Judge Don R. Willett said. “And even assuming the State could make this showing, the physical-examination requirement doesn’t alleviate those harms in a ...