Lawsuit Pushes for Mandatory Labeling of Eggs as "From Caged Hens," "Cage-Free," or "Free-Range"

In Violation of State Law, University’s Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee Refuses to Allow Public Access to Meetings and Records on Vivisection

Lawsuit targets failure to declare potential health risks of products from force-fed ducks and geese.

Compassion Over Killing (COK), Cal-Cruz Hatcheries, Inc., and its president, Brian Collins, have entered into a settlement to resolve all claims relating to an unfair business practices lawsuit based on alleged animal cruelty at the hatchery.

Animal Legal Defense Fund and Compassion Over Killing Claim Victory in Lawsuit Against Cal-Cruz Based on Undercover Investigation Revealing Animal Cruelty

Government excludes captive orca from Endangered Species Act protections

I've written in the past about how important it is for animal cruelty prosecutors to "take the high road" and be scrupulously ethical. As I've studied and considered the issue further, it has occurred to me that an even more fundamental ethical issue presents itself with disturbing frequency -- the failure of prosecutors to prosecute animal cruelty adequately or at all.

Animal Legal Defense Fund Represents Farmed Animal Sanctuaries Who Rescued Almost 4,500 Birds

Will Tony stay or will he go?

Federal Poultry Products Inspection Act Requires USDA to Prohibit Adulterated Livers from Entering Food Supply

When the Animal Legal Defense Fund sought to ensure compliance by the Palm Springs Animal Shelter with state and local laws regarding the animals in its care, we were fortunate to get this kind of tireless assistance from Evan Dwin.

This summer Matthew Liebman and I are excited to be teaching an intensive course at Lewis & Clark Law School entitled Animal Law Litigation.

Roadside Zoo Allowed to Subject Bear and Other Animals to Inhumane Conditions Despite Repeated Violations of Welfare Laws

The Nonhuman Rights Project is the only organization working toward actual Legal rights for members of species other than our own.

Michael A. Tabor of Branson, Missouri tied a 9-month-old colt to the back of a minivan and drove at speeds approaching 35 MPH. The reason? He wanted to halter break this poor young horse.

ALDF Demands an End to Owner's Illegal Possession of the Big Cat

For Seaquarium Owners, Exploiting an Endangered Whale Is Just Business as Usual

If foxes and rabbits have rights, then is a fox guilty of murder for eating a rabbit?

Legal victory stops systematic abuses at a Kentucky animal shelter.

Kentucky Woman Represented by the Animal Legal Defense Fund Had Sued County for Failure to Protect Shelter Animals as Mandated by State Law

In May 2008, Christopher Comins shot two Siberian husky dogs that had come onto an Orange County, Florida property where Comins happened to be walking.

Farmed animals have been left unprotected from cruelty laws for too long.

Animal Legal Defense Fund and Compassion Over Killing Seek to Stop Abuse of Newborn Chicks Following Undercover Investigation

John joined the Animal Legal Defense Fund as a litigation fellow in October 2011 and works on a variety of cases, including farmed animals with a focus on foie gras and egg laying hens, and coyote and fox penning.

Chris joined the Animal Legal Defense Fund as a litigation fellow in September 2011 after graduating from law school. Chris works on a broad range of animal issues including puppy mills, factory farms, and consumer rights.

You helped make incredible strides for animals this year! Please make a special year-end gift to the Animal Legal Defense Fund and help make 2012 another year of extraordinary progress.

With your support, we can win victories for exploited and abused animals.

ALDF intervenes in case, supporting state anti-cruelty law against corporate profit-seekers

On November 9, the Supreme Court of the United States will hear arguments in a case that will determine whether California voters or out-of-state corporations have the right to decide how farmed animals in California are treated.

Who can argue that a tiger wants to be spend his life in a cage at a truck stop?

Judge agrees with ALDF and rules current permit must be revoked.

ALDF is now fighting a case in the Supreme Court that shows they are.

Join us in our fight against abusive puppy mills and those who support them.

For those interested in having ALDF file an amicus curiae ("friend-of-the-court") brief, please fill out this form.

What Is a Dog Worth? Oral Argument in Heartbreaking Case Addresses How Our Legal System Values Companion Animals

Texas is putting the welfare of factory farmers over that of its citizens. What else are state officials good for if they cannot even protect food safety?

Help ALDF stop Barkworks' blatant and illegal deceptive practices.

Groups join Texas legal battle to protect consumers from salmonella outbreaks

Was Off-Duty Law Enforcement Officer Actually in Fear of his Safety When He Shot and Killed his Neighbor's Chihuahua with a Bow and Arrow? Kansas Prosecutors Don't Think So...

The expertise seasoned prosecutors bring to the charging process reflects the complexities which often determine the possibility of going forward with a criminal prosecution.

As a prosecutor for the past 15 years specializing in animal cruelty cases, I've come to realize that education, i.e., raising sensitivity, is key to making progress in the fight for animal rights.

Win real justice for animal victims like Rosco.

Last week, the Animal Legal Defense Fund moved for permission to appear as amicus in the case of Stray From The Heart v. City of New York, a case in which the City of New York thumbed its nose at its legal obligations under the Animal Shelters and Sterilization Act.

Plaintiffs Protest Cruelty at the Zoo and the Use of City Funds to Support Facilities, Practices that Violate Animal Protection Laws

ALDF goes back to court to fight for Tony's immediate release.

Second in the Country to Adopt a Registry

In the wake of ALDF's recent victory in the Tony the Tiger case, we've received a lot of questions about the ruling. ALDF staff attorney Matthew Liebman answers some of these questions.

Speak out against the sadistic practice of penning by submitting comments to the Indiana Natural Resources Commission by May 18th.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries will not renew the permit that allows Michael Sandlin, owner of Grosse Tete's Tiger Truck Stop, to display Tony, a ten-year-old Siberian-Bengal tiger.

Baton Rouge Court Grants Permanent Injunction, Ordering Department of Wildlife and Fisheries to Stop Issuing Illegal Permit Allowing Tony to Be Kept on Display in Iberville Parish

Baton Rouge Court to Consider the Animal Legal Defense Fund's Lawsuit Against the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries for Issuing Illegal Permit Allowing Tony to Be Kept on Display in Iberville Parish

Kristin talks about her concern over Tony's captivity.

This is your last chance before the hearing to join the over 27,000 people who have already signed the petition in ALDF's fight to get Tony moved to a reputable and humane big cat sanctuary.

Leo is the latest high-profile supporter to join ALDF's campaign to free Tony.

For those who practice animal law, a persistent debate rages on: of the many options available, which legal path is the best course to take to improve the plight of animals in the United States?

In Ctr. for Biological Diversity v. United States Fish & Wildlife Serv., 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2349 (C.D. Cal. Jan. 8, 2011), a challenge was brought to a decision of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, which was made under the authority of the Endangered Species Act, 16 U.S.C. § 1531 et seq., regarding the "kangaroo rat" and his "critical habitat."

Great news from Baton Rouge, where Judge Michael Caldwell has ruled in favor of the Animal Legal Defense Fund and Louisiana taxpayers in our lawsuit to free Tony the Tiger from the Tiger Truck Stop in Grosse Tete, Louisiana.

Animal Legal Defense Fund Sues Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries for Issuing Illegal Permit for Tony at Iberville Parish's Tiger Truck Stop

A Wisconsin court did not buy the recent argument of two brothers that the Wisconsin animal cruelty statute did not apply to their actions in killing several deer, no matter how cruel or senseless, because they were engaged in taking "wild animals."

Last month in Honolulu, Hawaii, Sandra Maloney (age 70) was acquitted by a jury at the end of her trial for second degree animal cruelty after she admitted to killing a peacock with a baseball bat.

Joshua Crain has been an Assistant District Attorney General in McMinnville, Tennessee, since July 2005. Joshua has aggressively prosecuted several animal abuse cases, three of which have made their way into Circuit Court.

Recently, Animal Legal Defense Fund attorneys filed suit against the state of Texas in the case Doe v. Suehs. The suit alleges that the state has done nothing to ensure that companies that produce eggs in the state comply with a state law which, in no uncertain terms, requires egg producers to not keep hens in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions, and to attend to dead, injured, and ill hens.

On the third day of trial, Judge Bob LeBlanc dismissed the case against Christopher Comins, acquitting him of all charges related to the May 2008 shooting of two Siberian husky dogs in Orange County, Florida.

Thanks to your support, the Animal Legal Defense Fund has pushed the U.S. legal system to end the suffering of abused animals for over 30 years.

Kern County, California
Case Closed

Cal-Maine came under an international spotlight last month when an undercover investigation there revealed harrowing, clearly illegal conditions for chickens and a veritable breeding ground for human health threats.

Concerned residents of Travis County and Gonzales County, Texas, represented by the Animal Legal Defense Fund, filed a lawsuit in Travis County District Court in an effort to stop the horrific abuses to birds and the human health risks posed by Cal-Maine Foods, Inc. -- the nation's largest egg supplier -- at its chicken-raising and egg production facility in Waelder, Texas.

This week ALDF filed an amicus curiae brief in Washington state's Supreme Court, arguing that the court should hear the appeal of Arnold Sather, whose dog was found to be dangerous and impounded by the City of Spokane.

On October 27th, a federal judge in Philadelphia approved a plan to allow sharpshooters to control the deer population at Valley Forge National Historical Park.

Decrepit County facility brought under fire

What should be a place of refuge for homeless animals is more like a filthy prison. That's why an outraged citizen is filing a lawsuit against Clay County, Kentucky today, taking the county to task for extreme neglect of animals at the county's shelter, neglect that violates Kentucky's Humane Shelter Law.

Were you ever that passionate? Were you ever that hopeful?

Crucial Legal Victory Awarded in Animal Legal Defense Fund's Case to Secure Horses' Permanent Safety from their Abuser

ALDF files suit against BP to prevent the burning alive of endangered sea turtles.

Sadly, the wild horse roundup in Nevada resumed yesterday despite the death of 21 horses and several others being treated for painful colic and brain swelling due to dehydration and exhaustion.

Animal Legal Defense Fund Announces Temporary Reprieve for Wildlife Being Illegally Killed in Gulf Clean-Up Efforts

Today, the Animal Legal Defense Fund, along with several other groups, filed suit in federal court against BP for burning critically endangered sea turtles in the Gulf of Mexico, in violation of the Endangered Species Act and other federal laws.

Urge the City of Seattle to stop funding the Woodland Park Zoo's cruel elephant exhibit.

Help win justice for Chai, Bamboo, Watoto and Sri by making a special donation and signing the petition today. Shamefully, the Woodland Park Zoo continues to use taxpayer money to exploit its elephants for profit while failing to provide them with adequate care. Together, we can stop this abuse.

Plaintiffs Protest Cruelty at the Zoo and the Use of City Funds to Support Facilities, Practices that Violate Animal Protection Laws

Unfortunate, but not unexpected, is how I would describe the ruling just handed down by the Vermont Supreme Court in the case of Shadow the murdered beloved family dog, also known as Scheele v. Dustin, ---A.2d---, 2010 WL 2015270 (Vt.).

Celebrated actress Ashley Judd, known as much for her smarts as her gorgeous looks (she's currently a graduate student at Harvard), has a big heart for animals, too.

Last year, Americans spent roughly $18 billion dollars on coffee—and virtually nothing to protect animals from some of the worst abuses imaginable. Is this who we are?

Tune in to the Genesis Awards on Animal Planet this weekend to catch Barry Yeoman, author of "Operation Rescue," an in-depth account of the ALDF v. Woodley case, win an award for his outstanding article published in O, The Oprah Magazine.

What the Court's decision means for animals.

Wednesday, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated a California law banning the use of sick and disabled ("downed") animals in the human food supply. Last year, a federal judge temporarily blocked the state from enforcing the law as a result of a lawsuit brought by the National Meat Association and the American Meat Institute.

Only two months after he was convicted for third degree felony assault in a different case, Joshua Ray Gordon, 18, of St. Louis County, Minnesota allegedly assaulted his girlfriend and severely beat a 12-week-old puppy named Griffin.

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated a California law banning the use of sick and disabled animals in the human food supply.

Vikki Rene Kittles, also known as Susan Dietrich, Rene Depenbrock, and Lynn Zellan, has a history of animal hoarding that goes back decades and spans the United States from the Southeast to the Northwest.

The University of Washington Student Animal Legal Defense Fund (SALDF) recently hosted a talk by Howard Lyman, author of "Mad Cowboy: Plain Truth from the Cattle Rancher Who Won't Eat Meat."

Celebrating some of our nation's most important animal advocates.

Tiffany Wasserburger is the county attorney for Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska. Tiffany's tireless prosecution has helped provide second chances for countless animals, including Max the kitten.

James Reams has served as the Rockingham County Attorney for the past 12 years. James spearheaded the landmark prosecution when, in 2001, the Plaistow District Court searched the property of Christopher Devito in Newton, N.H. for evidence of running a "fighting dog" operation.

William G. Lamberth II is currently an Assistant District Attorney for Sumner County, Tennessee. In 2006, William, helped secure a positive outcome for hundreds of rescued dogs from a puppy mill near Nashville.

El Paso County, Colorado
Case Closed

Two horrific cases involving the abuse and neglect of several dogs have recently come to a close, both ending with jail time for the abusers. Thank you to everyone who sent emails and supported these cases!

Santa Cruz, California
Case Closed