Biography
Jordan Halliday is a Utah-based animal liberation activist who was imprisoned for civil and criminal contempt after refusing to testify before a federal grand jury investigating the 2008 release of approximately 650 mink from the McMullin Mink Farm in South Jordan, Utah. Subpoenaed in 2009 by the U.S. Attorney for the District of Utah, Halliday repeatedly refused to answer questions about the animal liberation activist community, citing grand jury resistance principles widely held among anarchists and animal rights activists who view such proceedings as fishing expeditions used to gather intelligence on movements.
After being held in civil contempt and jailed briefly in 2009, Halliday was later indicted for criminal contempt of court for his continued refusal to cooperate. In September 2011, he was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Dee Benson to 10 months in federal prison, followed by 36 months of supervised release. He served his sentence and was released in 2012. His case became a rallying point for the animal liberation and anarchist movements, with the support campaign organized at supportjordan.org documenting his resistance and calling for solidarity with grand jury resisters.
