For the past ten years, we've been challenging centuries of animals’ rightlessness and opening judges’ eyes to the idea that animals can and should be rights-holders. Together, we've changed the conversation about nonhuman animal rights and created a major shift—and the biggest evidence of this progress is in the courts. Today, as we continue to celebrate our 10 year anniversary, we're sharing a selection of quotes from judges that highlight the impact that our movement has had.
As we look back on the last ten years of our unique litigation and plan for the decade ahead, we thank you, John, for being a vital part of the nonhuman animal rights movement. If you're feeling inspired after reading these quotes, we want to hear from you. Share why you support nonhuman rights, and what your hope is for the future.
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“No one has ever demanded a legal right for a nonhuman animal, until now.” |
– NhRP FOUNDER STEVEN M. WISE, Dec. 2, 2013 |
“Your impassioned representations to the Court are quite impressive … I will be available as the judge for any other lawsuit to right any wrongs that are done to this chimpanzee because I understand what you’re saying … As an animal lover, I appreciate your work.” |
– FULTON COUNTY SUPREME COURT JUSTICE JOSEPH M. SISE, Dec. 3, 2013 |
“Isn’t it incumbent on the judiciary to at least consider whether a class of beings might be granted a right or something short of the right under the habeas corpus law? |
– NEW YORK COUNTY SUPREME COURT JUSTICE BARBARA JAFFE, May 27, 2015 |
“[Cecilia the chimpanzee’s] present situation moves us. If we take care of her wellbeing, it is not Cecilia who will owe us; it is us who will have to thank her for giving us the opportunity to grow as a group and to feel a little more human.” |
– ARGENTINE JUDGE MARÍA ALEJANDRA MAURICIO, Nov. 3, 2016 |
“In the interval since we first denied leave to the Nonhuman Rights Project, I have struggled with whether this was the right decision … The issue whether a nonhuman animal has a fundamental right to liberty protected by the writ of habeas corpus is profound and far-reaching. It speaks to our relationship with all the life around us. Ultimately, we will not be able to ignore it. While it may be arguable that a chimpanzee is not a ‘person,’ there is no doubt that it is not merely a thing.”
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NEW YORK COURT OF APPEALS JUDGE EUGENE M. FAHEY, May 8, 2018 |
“With [the Sandra the orangutan] ruling I wanted to tell society something new, that animals are sentient beings and that the first right they have is our obligation to respect them.” |
– ARGENTINE JUDGE
JUDGE ELENA LIBERATORI, SEP. 25, 2019 |
“Happy is an intelligent, autonomous being who should be treated with respect and dignity, and who may be entitled to liberty.” |
– BRONX SUPREME COURT JUSTICE ALISON Y. TUITT, Feb. 18, 2020 |
“The fullest answer … is that we should recognize Happy’s right to petition for her liberty not just because she is a wild animal who is not meant to be caged and displayed, but because the rights we confer on others define who we are as a society … When the majority answers, ‘No, animals cannot have rights,’ I worry for that animal, but I worry even more greatly about how that answer denies and denigrates the human capacity for understanding, empathy and compassion.” |
– NEW YORK COURT OF APPEALS JUDGE ROWAN WILSON, June 14, 2022 |
“Any myth that Happy is content in this environment is laid bare by the cruel reality of her existence. Day in and day out, Happy is anything but happy. There lies the rub—Happy is an autonomous, if not physically free, being. The law has a mechanism to challenge this inherently harmful confinement, and Happy should not be denied the opportunity to pursue and obtain appropriate relief by writ of habeas corpus. I dissent.” |
– NEW YORK COURT OF APPEALS
JUDGE JENNY RIVERA, June 14, 2022 |
“Do … animals have rights? The answer to that question, without any hesitation, is in the affirmative.” |
– ISLAMABAD HIGH COURT CHIEF JUSTICE ATHAR MINALLAH, May 21, 2020 |
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These quotes are proof that a just future for animals isn't a far-off dream—it's a reality that we're building every day. Thank you, John, for building it alongside us! Thank you, The NhRP |
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The NhRP is a nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) corporation (Tax ID #: 04-3289466). It is solely through your donations that we can continue to work for the recognition and protection of fundamental rights for nonhuman animals. |
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