SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Illinois’ eavesdropping law is too broad, barring the recording of conversations that could not be considered private, the state Supreme Court ruled Thursday.

The law, the strictest in the United States, requires anyone who is recorded to have given consent. The court said people could be prosecuted for recording fans screaming during a football game or loud street arguments, the Chicago Tribune reported.

“None of these examples implicate privacy interests, yet the statute makes it a felony to audio record each one. Judged in terms of the legislative purpose of protecting conversational privacy, the statute’s scope is simply too broad,” the justices said.

A federal court found two years ago a section of the law specifically banning the recording of police officers engaged in public actions was unconstitutional.