NhRP To Seek Review of Decision in Elephant Rights Case in Connecticut's Highest Court
NhRP President Steven M. Wise: "It is for Beulah, Karen, and Minnie’s sake that we lament this Court’s failure to confront the injustice of our elephant clients’ thinghood and lack of rights."
Media Contacts:
Karen Hinton
karen@karenhinton.com
703.798.3109
Lauren Choplin
lchoplin@nonhumanrights.org
856.381.9447
Aug. 16, 2019—Below, please find a statement from NhRP President Steven M. Wise regarding the decision the Connecticut Appellate Court issued today in Beulah, Karen, and Minnie’s elephant rights case:
We are disappointed the Connecticut Appellate Court adopted a legally incorrect definition of personhood that other judges have rejected, refused us standing to sue on behalf of Beulah, Karen, and Minnie (to which we are entitled under the Connecticut common law of habeas corpus), and denied us the opportunity to have the hearing on the merits to which we are also entitled. This is especially troubling as, in order to do so, the Court had to ignore a contrary binding decision of the Connecticut Supreme Court.
It is for Beulah, Karen, and Minnie’s sake that we lament this Court’s failure to confront the injustice of our elephant clients’ thinghood and lack of rights. It is their rightlessness that keeps them imprisoned and exploited in the Commerford Zoo. We look forward to seeking further review of this decision in the Connecticut Supreme Court, and we feel both hopeful and confident that it will accept our request as a matter of law and justice.
For more information, visit Beulah, Karen, and Minnie’s court case page.
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About the Nonhuman Rights Project
The Nonhuman Rights Project is the only civil rights organization in the United States working through litigation, legislation, and education to secure fundamental rights for nonhuman animals.