United States v. Stevens (2010) set a significant precedent regarding the First Amendment and depictions of animal cruelty. The Supreme Court ruled that a federal law criminalizing the creation, sale, or possession of certain depictions of animal cruelty was unconstitutional. The Court held that the law was overly broad and violated the First Amendment's free speech protections. The decision emphasized that the government cannot restrict expression simply because it finds the content offensive or disagreeable, unless it falls into a historically recognized category of unprotected speech, such as obscenity or incitement. This case underscored the importance of free speech rights, even in contexts involving controversial or disturbing content.