 The case was assigned to Henry E. Hudson in the U.S. District Court in Richmond.According to an ESPN attorney, a new "tough" federal law passed by the U.S. Congress in April 2007 and signed by President George W. Bush on May 3, 2007 was being used in many ongoing investigations of dog fighting around the country.However, Vick and his codefendants were charged under the older laws, which carry lower penalties.