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Full-Text Articles in Law

A Critical Moral Dilemma Within Animal Law Impact Litigation, Kyla Dayton-Woods Jan 2023

A Critical Moral Dilemma Within Animal Law Impact Litigation, Kyla Dayton-Woods

Animal Law Review

Animals, as legal clients, deserve the same rights as people when being represented by attorneys. There is no Model Rule of Professional Conduct to guide attorneys on how to ethically represent their animal clients. This gap in the law demonstrates an uncertainty in how lawyers are meant to fulfill their moral and legal obligations for their animal clients. Using the Nonhuman Rights Project’s representation of two elephant clients, Beulah and Karen, as a test, this Article proposes a Model Rule to fill the moral gap. If this proposed rule was incorporated into the Model Rules, Beulah and Karen’s attorneys may …


U.S. Ivory Trade: Can A Crackdown On Trafficking Save The Last Titan?, Beth Allgood, Marina Ratchford, Peter Lafontaine Jan 2013

U.S. Ivory Trade: Can A Crackdown On Trafficking Save The Last Titan?, Beth Allgood, Marina Ratchford, Peter Lafontaine

Animal Law Review

Rampant poaching has put African elephants on the verge of extinction in the wild, and the United States (U.S.) is complicit in this crisis. Despite the best efforts of federal agencies, porous national borders, legal loopholes, and deep-seated difficulties in law enforcement make the U.S. a major market for illicit ivory. While the White House, the United Nations, and the European Union, along with other voices, are sounding alarms, bold and concrete actions have been slow in coming. The U.S., in particular, is only beginning to acknowledge its own role in the slaughter, and still relies on a patchwork of …


Bullhooks And The Law: Is Pain And Suffering The Elephant In The Room?, Trevor J. Smith Jan 2013

Bullhooks And The Law: Is Pain And Suffering The Elephant In The Room?, Trevor J. Smith

Animal Law Review

In the United States, violent use of “bullhooks”—sharpened, steel-tipped rods—on captive elephants at carnivals, circuses, and zoos is all too routine. Yet animal-welfare advocates struggle to protect elephants from the (mis)use of bullhooks under the current regulatory regime. At the federal level, advocates cannot consistently rely on either the Animal Welfare Act or the Endangered Species Act, due to these statutes’ narrow provisions, standing limitations, and inconsistent enforcement. State animal-protection laws are equally deficient, as only two states have defined suffering and abuse clearly enough in their statutes to enable effective prosecution of elephant mistreatment, and plaintiffs in even these …


Caring For Dolphins, Otters, And Octopuses: Speciesism In The Regulation Of Zoos And Aquariums, Marla K. Conley Jan 2009

Caring For Dolphins, Otters, And Octopuses: Speciesism In The Regulation Of Zoos And Aquariums, Marla K. Conley

Animal Law Review

Current regulations for zoos and aquariums rely heavily on standards established by industry associations, and the government increasingly expects public display facilities to self-monitor. Unfortunately, the industry associations charged with policing zoos and aquariums lack the enforcement authority necessary to ensure that animals kept in these facilities receive adequate attention or resources. This article argues that marine animals kept in public display facilities, such as zoos and aquariums, should benefit from the same level of regulatory protection as their land-bound counterparts. Even though marine animals demonstrate intellectual abilities equivalent or superior to those of land-bound animals, federal regulations allow facilities …


Legal Trade In African Elephant Ivory: Buy Ivory To Save The Elephant?, Sam B. Edwards Iii Jan 2001

Legal Trade In African Elephant Ivory: Buy Ivory To Save The Elephant?, Sam B. Edwards Iii

Animal Law Review

Trade in endangered species is a complicated issue. The trade in ivory creates tensions between western conservation-driven beliefs and developing countries' reliance on wildlife as a resource. This article examines the recent decision under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) to conduct a one-time sale of ivory from Zimbabwe, Namibia, and Botswana to Japan. Since trade in endangered species involves many different disciplines, this paper touches on biology, international law, economics, and public policy. In theory, limited trade in African elephant ivory is possible and even advantageous for the various actors. However, in practice, the management controls …