Duck Cruelty Case Creates Controversy for Animal Rights Attorney
A young animal rights attorney in Minneapolis is on the hot seat after writing to the judge hearing a case against a man accused of ripping the head off of a live duck in front of onlookers at a downtown hotel.
Corwin Kruse, a lawyer at Dorsey & Whitney who chairs the animal law section of the Minnesota State Bar Association, apparently meant well when he wrote the court about the seriousness of the offense, which has sparked public outrage. However, his timing was awry. Because Ramsey County District Judge Michael DeCourcy hadn’t yet decided the case, he felt he had no choice but to recuse himself because of Kruse’s letter, reports the Pioneer Press (reg. req.), a St. Paul newspaper.
“Kruse is a young lawyer, having graduated from law school just over two years ago. New lawyers are bound to make mistakes. Unfortunately for Kruse, he made his in a public arena in a high-profile case,” writes Michelle Lore, an associate editor for Minnesota Law Blog. “Fortunately, no real harm was done, a new judge will be assigned to the case, and this will blow over.”
