Legal Niches

The Cruelty Pathology

Posted on June 14, 2010
David Cassuto This article on the relationship between human-to-animal cruelty and human-to-human cruelty is worth reading particularly for what it does not do.  The author does not dwell just on how inter-species cruelty can be both trigger and symptom of intra-species cruelty, but also on the fact that violence against other beings — be they human [...

Christopher Stone on Nonhuman Legal Standing

Posted on June 13, 2010
David Cassuto Christopher Stone, author of the seminal 1972 law review article, Should Trees Have Standing,  takes on the issue of standing for nonhuman animals.  Stone writes with characteristic eloquence about something that — while it may sound legally arcane – could well be the single most important issue in animal law today.

Pombo Relegated to the Ashheap of History

Posted on June 11, 2010
David Cassuto Richard Pombo lost the  Republican primary for Congress in California´s Central Valley.  This is good news for animals everywhere.  During his 14 years in Congress (representing another district, which he lost in 2008), Pombo was an unmitigated disaster (not just for animals but for all things environmental)...

New Study on Animal Protection Laws in Canada

Posted on June 11, 2010
David Cassuto A while back, I blogged about HSUS´s useful state-by-state breakdown of animal protection laws in the U.S.   Now, I´m pleased to relay that ALDF has done a province-by-province study of the laws in Canada.  Apparently, Ontario tops the list while the Northwest Territory trails the pack...

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Animal Law in Spain

Posted on June 11, 2010
David Cassuto Freshly returned from Buenos Aires, I am.  It´s a great city even if I did have some problems accessing this site from there (hence the lull).  In any case, for those following my language struggles, you´ll be pleased to know that 4 days speaking Spanish has rendered me all but incoherent in Portuguese...

Pombo Relegated to Ashheap of History

Posted on June 11, 2010
David Cassuto Richard Pombo lost the  Republican primary for Congress in California´s Central Valley.  This is good news for animals everywhere.  During his 14 years in Congress (representing another district, which he lost in 2008), Pombo was an unmitigated disaster (not just for animals but for all things environmental)...

The Brown Pelican ? Another Gulf Casualty

Posted on June 05, 2010
David Cassuto Pesticides nearly wiped out the brown pelican during the 1960s.  With great care and lots of luck, the species was brought back from the brink of extinction.  Now, thanks to BP and our national petroleum addiction, it’s back.

Grizzly Bears, Moose, and Other Terrorist Enablers

Posted on June 05, 2010
David Cassuto Apparently, those darn grizzly bears are putting our nation at risk.  Noting darkly that “the threat from the north is real,” a group of Republican lawmakers are concerned that grizzlies and other transboundary species are interfering with the Department of Homeland Security’s ability to protect the motherland...

Come 2011, Some More Regulation for CAFOs

Posted on June 02, 2010
David Cassuto From the Correcting Inane Regulations Desk: One could say that EPA has regulated CAFOs under the Clean Water Act for years.  Big Ag operations are required to obtain NPDES (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System) permits for their discharges and consequently, the Agency has monitored such discharges and protected the public from the environmental hazards [...

Radioactive Fish

Posted on May 31, 2010
David Cassuto There have been a number of developments on the agriculture front that I want to discuss but that will have to wait until things settle down around here at least a little bit .  In the meantime, here´s an interesting tidbit from today´s WaPo...

Animals are Family Too

Posted on May 28, 2010
Seth Victor           This past week I attended the 2010 New Jersey State Bar Association Annual Meeting and Convention in Atlantic City. I had a very enjoyable time, and while I think part of holding the event in Atlantic City is to entice lawyers to come and make a holiday of it, I was there [...

Voiceless ? Australian Animal Law Grant Opportunity

Posted on May 27, 2010
David Cassuto From the email: We are delighted to announce that from next week, applications will be accepted for the 2010 Voiceless Grants Program. Now in its seventh year, the Grants Program has awarded more than $1 million to universities, local councils, and animal protection and non-profit organisations for projects that improve the lives of [...

Cute Frogs and the Death of Nature

Posted on May 26, 2010
David Cassuto This post is not about the oil spill in the gulf.  It´s not about the hideous and incalculable damage to fragile coastal wetlands, marine life,  and shore birds, or the other collateral damage from this petroleum-based nightmare.  It´s not about the lack of a viable disaster plan or the continued national unwillingness to [...

Talking Animals, Climate Change and Agriculture in Sao Paulo

Posted on May 25, 2010
David Cassuto Today, I gave a talk on industrial agriculture and climate change at the Planeta Verde Conference, the largest environmental law conference in South America and maybe the world.  Instituto O Direito Por Um Planeta Verde (Law for a Green Planet Institute) is a Brazilian NGO founded (I believe) by Antonio Benjamin, a major [...

Some Comings and Goings

Posted on May 24, 2010
David Cassuto Our hero has been doing a lot of speaking lately.  I gave a talk in Belem (in the north of Brazil) a few weeks ago, in Rio at the Attorney General’s Office last week, and I’m in Sao Paulo right now getting ready to talk at the Lawyers for a Green Planet Conference [...

`Octomom´ Nadya Suleman is the New PETA Poster Child

Posted on May 20, 2010
David Cassuto Nadya Suleman, the (now) self-described `Octomom,´ has a sign on her lawn urging us to heed her example and “Don’t Let Your Dog or Cat Become an Octomom. Always Spay or Neuter.”   Suleman, who had octuplets 16 months ago (in addition to her 6 other children) and has been struggling to make ends meet, [...

Call for Papers: Race and Food

Posted on May 17, 2010
David Cassuto Lots one could say about this.  The journal is Race/Ethnicity: Multidisciplinary Global Contexts out of Ohio State.  The call for papers is here.  Submission deadline:  November 15, 2010. h/t: Our Hen House

Does One Compromise Over Whale Slaughter?

Posted on May 16, 2010
David Cassuto The hoo-ha is growing over the recent proposal by the International Whaling Commission (IWC) to lift the outright ban on whaling in exchange for the scofflaw nations (Japan, Norway & Iceland) ceasing  “scientific whaling” (in the case of Japan) and getting to kill more of some different kinds of whales (in the case [...

Speaking of Hermaneutics?

Posted on May 13, 2010
David Cassuto Not that we were…  A former student writes and asks: Is it wrong that I was so happy he didn’t murder the dog, that I missed  the point of the story? 

New Book on AETA and Animal Activism

Posted on May 11, 2010
David Cassuto From the email, a new book by Dara Lovitz: I am pleased to announce the publication of my book, Muzzling a Movement: The Effects of Anti-Terrorism Law, Money, and Politics on Animal Activism, which examines the silencing of the animal activist movement in violation of time-honored constitutional principles...

The Show-Me State Legislature Making the World Safe for Factory Farms

Posted on May 09, 2010
David Cassuto I used to live in Missouri (in Rolla — a place locals call “The Middle of Everywhere“).  I have many fond memories of my time there including my first visit to Stonehenge, drinking grape juice made from local grapes (the wine is pretty good, too), and doing a radio show on gulf coast rhythm [...

Missouri Court of Appeals Keeps Friends Close and CAFOs Closer

Posted on May 07, 2010
David Cassuto Excellent post here about a recent Missouri Court of Appeals decision eradicating a buffer zone between the historic town of Arrow Rock and a proposed CAFO.  In Missouri, a CAFO need be sited only 3000 feet  from residential areas.  Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster litigated this case furiously on behalf of the factory farms, arguing [...

Sloth

Posted on May 04, 2010
Seth Victor  I wrote that gluttony is the biggest of these applied sins, but I may have spoken too soon. Everything I?ve written so far is meaningless if no one critically considers the issues contained in these posts, and while my goal is to get people thinking and talking about these issues, that alone is [...

Some Measurable Poultry-Related Success in the U.K.

Posted on May 03, 2010
David Cassuto A while back, I relayed some info about the `Quash the Squash´ campaign by the RSPCA in the UK aimed at improving the lot of chickens.  Apparently, the campaign was/is very successful.  Despite the recession, British consumers are increasingly willing to spend more money on `higher welfare´chickens...

Envy

Posted on May 01, 2010
Seth Victor Have you ever wanted to fly? Have you ever wanted to be able to dive into the obliqueness of the ocean, breathe through the water, and resist the pressure of the depths? How about sprinting over the terrain in but a few strides? Of course you?ve dreamed of these things, or if not [...

Gluttony

Posted on April 30, 2010
Seth Victor             Gluttony is the big sin, the flagship of cruelty against animals, and because of that it is the hardest for me to put into original words. So many advocates before me have written so well about the consequences of over consuming animals...

NY County Lawyers´ Association Animal Law Committee

Posted on April 28, 2010
  David Cassuto  From the email  For Immediate Release Contact: Anita Aboulafia aaboulafia@nycla.org        212-267-6646, ext. 225  Animal Law Committee Launches at NYCLA  April 28, 2010 ? New York, NY ? The New York County Lawyers? Association?s (NYCLA) Board of Directors approved the creation of a new committee, the Animal Law Committee, at its April 12 [...

Greed

Posted on April 27, 2010
Seth Victor             Thank goodness we live in a world of endless and unlimited resources. If it weren?t for that, I might be worried about the way we are treating the earth.  Man, if I were to suddenly find out that the populations humans recklessly destroy were unable to immediately regenerate, I think that would [...

A Noteworthy Blog

Posted on April 27, 2010
David Cassuto For those interested in the U.K. elections and all things animal (or even if you´re not interested in the election), check out Kim Stallwood´s blog.  Kim is a longtime friend of the animals and an important voice in the movement.  His blog is well worth the read.

Stevens Update ? The Content-Based Restriction Debate Continues to Swirl

Posted on April 26, 2010
David Cassuto Congress has introduced a new bill aimed at suppressing crush videos.  In the meantime, the Court will review another content-based law  – this one aimed at restricting violent video game sales to children.  One wonders how the Stevens precedent will figure into deciding whether this California law is constitutional...

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