New York's Highest Court Deals Serious Blow to Chimpanzee "Personhood" Movement
Earlier
today, the New York Court of Appeals, the state's highest court,
declined to hear appeals brought forward by animal rights lawyer Stephen
Wise and the Nonhuman Rights Project (NhRP).
Previous attempts by Wise and NhRP to seek a writ of habeas corpus
for privately-owned chimpanzees had failed in lower courts. Wise argued
that chimpanzees were denied their basic legal rights, comparing them
to slaves and prisoners. Previously, three justices in a midlevel court
denied legal standing for chimpanzees by saying the animals "cannot
bear any legal duties, submit to societal responsibilities or be held
legally accountable for their actions." Most recently, Manhattan
Supreme Court Justice Barbara Jaffee noted in Nonhuman Rights Project (NhRP) v. Stanley that,
"Animals… are accorded no legal rights beyond being guaranteed the
right to be free from physical abuse and other mistreatment.”
To read more about today's developments, please see the coverage by U.S. News & World Report and ABC News.
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