You can’t litigate your way into Kentucky Derby, says Churchill Downs’ general counsel

The Kentucky Derby has long been known as “the fastest two minutes in sports,” but the 150th Run for the Roses on Saturday will take place without Muth, a horse some say may have been the fastest in the field this year.

May 2, 2024 1:56 PM CDT

A love for canines influenced this lawyer’s work to outlaw greyhound racing

People often ask me how I came to become a lawyer for greyhounds. In fact, the dogs led me to law school.

Apr 1, 2024 1:00 AM CDT

Animal rights groups target laws that penalize unauthorized workplace videos

Animal rights groups are going to court to fight “ag-gag” laws, which punish would-be whistleblowers who record activity on farms and at animal procession facilities.

Apr 1, 2024 12:50 AM CDT

Creatures Great and Small

Widely regarded by legal experts as one of the world’s most powerful statutes for protection of wildlife and ecosystems, the Nixon-era Endangered Species Act has halted the decline of hundreds of species along with protecting their habitats. But the unified political support that led to the act has vanished.

Apr 1, 2024 12:00 AM CDT

9th Circuit revives suit to register racehorse as ‘Malpractice Meuser,’ thought to be lawyer jab

A racehorse owner who claims that a First Amendment right to register the name of his thoroughbred as “Malpractice Meuser” can proceed with his federal lawsuit as a result of a federal appeals court's decision.

Feb 28, 2024 2:51 PM CST

Steven M. Wise, legal force for animal rights, dies at 73

Steven M. Wise, a legal warrior for animal rights who argued that chimpanzees, elephants, whales and other highly intelligent creatures have a fundamental right to liberty, no less than the humans who often confined or killed them, died Feb. 15 at his home in Coral Springs, Florida. He was 73.

Feb 21, 2024 11:25 AM CST

Incentivize alternatives to animal research, ABA House says

The ABA House of Delegates on Monday at the 2024 ABA Midyear Meeting in Louisville, Kentucky, adopted a resolution urging Congress and federal agencies to promote the development and use of methods that aim to replace, reduce and refine the use of animal models in research and testing.

Feb 5, 2024 12:40 PM CST

Animal Legal Defense Fund fails to persuade 8th Circuit that ‘ag-gag’ laws violate First Amendment

A federal appeals court has upheld two “ag-gag” laws in Iowa in a First Amendment challenge by the Animal Legal Defense Fund and other animal welfare groups.

Jan 9, 2024 12:37 PM CST

Ban on approaching or recording hunters violates First Amendment, 7th Circuit says

Citing the First Amendment, a Chicago-based federal appeals court has struck down changes to a Wisconsin “hunter harassment law” that bans recording and approaching hunters.

Nov 21, 2023 9:32 AM CST

Police shootings of dogs spark Fourth Amendment lawsuits, challenges to qualified immunity

An estimated 10,000 dogs are fatally shot by U.S. law enforcement officers each year, according to the Department of Justice. Some incidents result in lawsuits citing Fourth Amendment violations, including unreasonable search and seizure, and challenge an officer’s immunity. Some generate settlements of more than $1 million.

Oct 24, 2023 1:30 PM CDT

Vet Detectives

Forensic veterinary investigations are a growing force in animal law, with vets working at the intersection of law and veterinary medicine. On any given case, the scope of the vet’s work runs from crime scene investigations, lab work, animal autopsies and report writing to serving as an expert witness in court.

Oct 1, 2023 4:05 AM CDT

Animal abuse and domestic violence can go hand in hand

“The tide is definitely changing on the perception of the importance of investigating animal cruelty,” says Martha Smith-Blackmore, president of Forensic Veterinary Investigations in Boston. “Crimes against animals do not exist in a vacuum.”

Oct 1, 2023 4:00 AM CDT

Failure to euthanize suffering dog isn’t animal cruelty, appeals court rules

An animal cruelty law does not reach a dog owner who ignored a veterinarian’s recommendation to euthanize her suffering, terminally ill dog, the Massachusetts Appeals Court has ruled.

Sep 19, 2023 8:57 AM CDT

Top state court will hear condo board dispute over emotional support dog

For nearly five years, a 70-pound black Labrador mix named Luna has been at the center of a dispute that started in a Camden County, New Jersey, condominium complex in New Jersey and now sits before the state’s highest court.

Aug 23, 2023 11:27 AM CDT

Seattle settles case involving ‘rights of nature,’ a theory gaining steam in other countries

Last month, the city of Seattle settled a “rights of nature” case pending in the Sauk-Suiattle Tribal Court of Appeals that was filed on behalf of salmon harmed by dams on the Skagit River.

May 16, 2023 9:33 AM CDT