Dear John,
When the Nonhuman Rights Project files lawsuits demanding the right to liberty for autonomous nonhuman animals, we’re asking judges to reject the status quo and do the previously unimaginable: recognize that a nonhuman animal can have an actual, enforceable legal right, just like we do.
Because our arguments are still so new to US courts, any time we appear before judges is an important opportunity to educate them about what we’re seeking and why and create the climate in which the courts have the courage to do the right thing. For this reason, we bring everything we have to every single hearing–no matter how brief, no matter how seemingly minor.
That’s exactly what we’ll be doing on Tuesday, January 16th when we’ll appear before Hawaii First Circuit Court Judge Gary W.B. Chang on behalf of Mari and Vaigai–two elephants unlawfully deprived of their liberty in the Honolulu Zoo.
We filed the elephants’ lawsuit in early November. Three weeks later, the City and County of Honolulu, which oversees the zoo, filed a motion to dismiss the case. Judge Chang then ordered oral arguments on the motion, our opposition to it, and NhRP attorney Jake Davis’s pro hac vice motion (the latter of which is generally noncontroversial and rarely denied).
On Tuesday, we’ll have an important opportunity, at a very early stage in the case, to argue in person 1) that the motion to dismiss must be denied and 2) that the judge must issue an Order to Show Cause, requiring attorneys for the City and County of Honolulu to come to court to try to justify the imprisonment of Mari and Vaigai.
Even if a judge isn’t yet at a point where they’re ready to open the courtroom doors to elephants and recognize that they have the right to liberty, the law is clear that they have the duty to issue our requested habeas corpus order so our clients’ case can get litigated and an intelligent informed decision can be made. We know with perseverance on our part and you on our clients’ side, one day the courtroom doors will be open to autonomous nonhuman animals without question or hesitation.
You can learn more about Mari and Vaigai and share their story here.
Thank you as always,
Elizabeth Stein
Litigation Director, the NhRP
