A federal court has upheld an Iowa city's ban on pit bulls and dogs that look like pit bulls. Since 2005, Council Bluffs has banned residents from owning "any dog that is an American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, or any dog displaying the majority of physical traits" of one of those breeds. A group of dog owners sued, arguing that the ban violated their constitutional rights.
The dog owners argued that the ban violates their rights to substantive due process and equal protection and that it isn't rationally related to legitimate government interests. But a federal district court sided with Council Bluffs, and now the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit has as well. The court concluded that the city did have rational reasons for the ban, since the dog owners could "not negate every conceivable basis for the Ordinance."
