The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals will hear oral arguments in Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation’s (SAF) lawsuit challenging the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) unlawful and arbitrary puppy ban on December 12, in Cincinnati, Ohio.

CDC’s puppy ban prohibits all dogs under the age of six months and dogs without implanted microchips from entering the country. CDC implemented the ban under the guise of preventing the introduction of rabies to the United States. It professes that the age limitation ensures that dogs entering the country are old enough to have been inoculated for rabies, and the microchip will verify that the inoculation paperwork matches the dog. But CDC does not require dogs coming from places without rabies to be inoculated, which defeats the purpose of the age and microchip requirements.

The ban took effect in August 2024. SAF immediately sued, and asked the district court to enjoin the CDC from enforcing the ban. After months of briefing and arguments—and an announcement from CDC that it would be reconsidering the ban—the district court denied the injunction in April 2025. SAF appealed that denial to the Sixth Circuit and finished briefing the case in September. The oral argument is the final phase of the appeal.

“We’re look forward to presenting our case to the Sixth Circuit,” said Michael Jean, Litigation Counsel for Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation. “We hope the court sees this ban for what it is: an act that exceeds CDC’s statutory authority and has no rational basis supporting it.”

The Sportsmen’s Alliance guarantees hunting, fishing and trapping for the American sportsman now and forever. We’re there when sportsmen need us most. We are the only organization specifically created to protect the individual hunter, angler, and trapper – no matter the threat. We will never compromise when it comes to defending our way of life in the courts, in the legislatures, in the public square and at the ballot box. We make this promise to the American sportsman: we will never give up and never give in while proudly securing our future against those seeking to destroy our values, beliefs, and traditions. Stay connected to Sportsmen’s Alliance: Online, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.