On February 23, 2010, the Iowa Senate passed a "puppy mill" bill designed to improve the conditions for dogs and cats at commercial breeding facilities. The bill, House File 2280, passed overwhelmingly by a vote of 41 to 9.

Daniel Press, who heads the Van Ness Feldman Native American practice group, has been engaged in the practice of Indian law since 1968. Mr. Press has been at the cutting edge of many key issues in Indian law and economic development.

My friend and ALDF attorney member, Megan Senatori, and I are debriefing at an airport bar after our weekend at Harvard Law School where we served as judges at the National Animal Law Competitions (NALC), sponsored by the Center for Animal Law Studies at Lewis & Clark, in collaboration with ALDF. As we discuss how impressed we were with the competition, law students, judges and the mere fact that such a competition exists, we can't help but recall our law school days.

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

Amy Slameka has been with the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office since January 2001. She co-founded the Animal Protection Unit (APU) in 2008 with Rajesh Prasad. The APU is designed to combat the underground criminal community that breeds, trains, houses and sells fighting animals.

Raj Prasad has been an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney at the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office since 2005. Raj co-founded the office's Animal Protection Unit (APU) in 2008 with APA Amy Slameka. The APU has achieved a 98% conviction rate.

Tammy Somers joined the Office of the Indiana Attorney General in October of 2008 as a Deputy Attorney General in the Consumer Protection Division. The Attorney General's Office shut down a puppy mill and removed 74 dogs and four horses, and then shut down a second mill, rescuing nearly 300 dogs.

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.

Gillian "Jill" Deegan is an Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney in Botetourt County, Virginia. In addition to her other casework, she is responsible for handling all of the animal cruelty and neglect cases in her county.

There are only three days left to take advantage of early bird registration for ALDF's Future of Animal Law conference! Don't miss this excellent opportunity to explore vital issues relative to animal law and activism with attorneys, law students, professors, and activists from around the world.

This past weekend, in the dead of the New England winter, the Harvard Student Animal Legal Defense Fund played gracious host to the annual National Animal Law Competitions (NALC) sponsored by the Center for Animal Law Studies (CALS), a program that Animal Legal Defense Fund is proud of. In addition to funding the competitions, most of ALDF's staff attorneys served as judges and jurors throughout the weekend.

This past weekend, law students from around the country converged on Harvard Law School to compete in the National Animal Law Competitions, put on by the Center for Animal Law Studies.

As one of the visionaries who co-founded the Animal Legal Defense Fund over three decades ago, California attorney Joyce Tischler has helped shape the emerging field of animal law.

Scott has been a prosecutor for seventeen years, serving the last eight years as the elected district attorney in Benton County, Oregon. Scott recently joined the Animal Legal Defense Fund, serving as the senior staff attorney in ALDF's Criminal Justice Program.

Bruce Wagman is a partner in the San Francisco office of Schiff Hardin, with an almost exclusive focus on a wide range of animal law cases, as well as education and consultation in the field.

ALDF would like to recognize the contributions of State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle and Assistant State Attorney Michael Von Zamft for their efforts in a brutal crime spree where 19 cats were found killed and mutilated in neighborhoods throughout Florida's Miami-Dade County.

Construction of primate breeding facility in Puerto Rico stopped.

Bob Barker may best be known as the beloved host of the longest running TV game show in history. But "The Price is Right" host is also a long-time advocate for animals and is the keynote speaker at Animal Legal Defense Fund's "Future of Animal Law" conference on April 9-11 at Harvard Law School.

An amicus curiae brief permits a non-party to offer its view of a case, typically premised on either its interest in the outcome or its expertise in the field. The Animal Legal Defense Fund submits amicus briefs in a wide variety of cases, working to advance the interests of animals by urging courts to recognize their own interests and their special value to humans.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said life's most persistent and urgent question is, "What are you doing for others?" Dr. King devoted his life’s work to causes of social justice and equality. In August 1994, the King Holiday and Service Act designated the King Holiday as a national day of volunteer service. Instead of taking a day off, Americans are challenged each year to celebrate Dr. King's legacy by giving back to their community. So on January 18, please support the Animal Legal Defense Fund in its efforts to end animal suffering and abuse.

More than 100 live and 150 dead Chihuahuas removed from property

Stephen Wells is executive director and chief executive officer of the Animal Legal Defense Fund. Prior to becoming its CEO in January 2006, Stephen served as the director of ALDF’s successful Animal Law Program.

Stephan K. Otto is an attorney and director of legislative affairs for the Animal Legal Defense Fund. He is also an adjunct professor of law at Lewis & Clark Law School where he teaches an animal law legislation clinic.

Dr. Sebastien Gay is a private consultant and currently teaches in the Economics Department at the University of Chicago and launched the Program on Companion Animal Capital in 2008.

Sarah Baeckler is executive director of Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest, which provides sanctuary for chimpanzees discarded from the entertainment and biomedical testing industries.

Educated at Trinity College Cambridge, Peter Stevenson is a qualified lawyer. He is the Chief Policy Advisor of Compassion in World Farming. In 2004 Peter was the joint recipient of the RSPCA Lord Erskine Award.

Pamela D. Hart is director of the Animal Law Program at the Animal Legal Defense Fund. Additionally, Ms. Alexander is an adjunct professor teaching Animal Law at the University of Chicago Law School.

Dr. Bailey Norwood is an associate professor of agricultural economics at Oklahoma University, where he began in 2003. He received his Ph.D. in Economics from North Carolina State University in 2001.

Matthew Liebman is a staff attorney at the Animal Legal Defense Fund, where he works in the civil litigation program. Matthew is the co-author, with Bruce Wagman and Michelle Maloney, of a forthcoming book on international and comparative animal law.

Kathy Hessler is a clinical professor of law and director of the only animal law clinic in the country. She is the first faculty member hired to teach animal law full time in a law school.

Melinda D. Merck, D.V.M., is senior director of Veterinary Forensic Sciences for the ASPCA. She is part of a team of forensic experts that have launched the Veterinary Forensics Program at University of Florida.

Dana Campbell is a long-time attorney for the Criminal Justice Program of the Animal Legal Defense Fund. She also teaches Animal Law as an adjunct professor at Cornell Law School in Ithaca, New York.

Carter Dillard is currently Of Counsel to HSUS, a Research Fellow for the Optimum Population Trust, and he also holds a position on the faculty of Loyola University New Orleans, College of Law, as a Westerfield Fellow.

Earlier this year, ALDF attorney Bruce Wagman did a speaking tour in the land down under with the excellent Australia-based animal rights organization Voiceless. Among the many interviews he did while on his Australian tour, he spoke with "The Law Report" at ABC Radio National, which just posted his interview on their site as "one of the best programs of 2009."

Once starved and neglected, Casey is now thriving.

Max can now play, cuddle and catnap without fear.

Podcasts are now available of Animal Law: The Links, The Animal Law Conference at Lewis & Clark, hosted by the Center for Animal Law Studies and the Student Animal Legal Defense Fund at Lewis & Clark Law School.

Has your prosecutor or other local law enforcement official taken a strong stand against animal cruelty, or won real justice for animal victims of a crime? Let us know! Submit your nominations for who should be honored during Animal Legal Defense Fund's National Justice for Animals Week 2010!

In Center for Biological Diversity v. United States Dept. of the Interior, 581 F.3d 1063 (9th Cir. 2009), a divided three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit determined that the United States Department of the Interior ("DOI") and the Bureau of Land Management ("BLM") had failed to properly evaluate the environmental impacts, including the impact on wildlife, of a proposed land exchange.

I finally made it to my first animal law conference! After almost two years as ALDF's media relations associate, I felt it was time to schmooze with the who's who of animal law. Hosted by The Center for Animal Law Studies at Lewis & Clark, in collaboration with the Animal Legal Defense Fund, it's the longest running animal law conference in the nation.

Following a three hour deliberation yesterday, a Carter County jury found Antonio Ray not guilty of animal cruelty. The defense had presented the argument that Ray did not realize he was dragging his dog behind his bicycle for approximately 1/4 mile.

It is exceedingly rare to hear anything positive regarding animals and Kentucky law. Yet despite the continuing legal and political morass surrounding the state's animal protection laws, we are happy to commend the prosecutors of Kenton County who were the first to successfully utilize the only animal protection law strengthened in Kentucky last year, when they recently secured a felony conviction against a man charged with stabbing to death two cats.

Sometimes, it's the subtle details that hit you right between the eyes. I've just returned from the annual animal law conference held at Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, Oregon and throughout this excellent conference, I felt the presence of something else... something that is new and wonderful and growing.

Concord Resident's Lawsuit Alleges Discrimination as She Fights Eviction from Her Mobile Home Park Residence of Nineteen Years

The Supreme Court heard oral argument on Tuesday ...

The impact of the Federal District Court's (Western District of Kentucky) memorandum opinion in Louisville Kennel Club v. Louisville/Jefferson County Metro Government isn't as bad as you might think from reading the web traffic on this case.

The complexities of the United States v. Stevens case are clarified in this Q & A session with ALDF Attorney Matthew Liebman. Have additional questions? Post them in the comments section and Matthew will answer them on the Q & A page.

U.S. Supreme Court Directly Addresses the Issue of Animal Cruelty

How often have you heard the phrase, "the Government has unlimited resources with which to pursue a criminal case?" Defense loyal lobbyists commonly use this rhetoric to secure increased budgets for indigent criminal defense. However, while this statement may be true in a select few celebrated federal cases, nothing could be further from the truth in the vast majority of criminal prosecutions, particularly in the state court system.

A rare opportunity to save animals from intense suffering.

In March of 1981, the U.S. Navy secretly shot and killed 648 feral burros at the Naval Weapons Center in China Lake, California. In the organization's first big case, ALDF, representing the Animal Protection Institute and the Fund for Animals, argued that the Navy had violated the National Environmental Policy Act.

Happy Birthday, Animal Legal Defense Fund! I'm proud of what we have accomplished and thrilled to still be a part of you. The best is yet to come...

On Tuesday, the Animal Legal Defense Fund was back in court fighting for the eight horses who were severely neglected by Robert and Rebecca Collier of Marion, Indiana.

Find out how the field of animal law began and how the Animal Legal Defense Fund was born in this presentation, hosted by the Student Animal Legal Defense Fund of the John Marshall Law School.

I write today to express my deep gratitude to Representatives Sara Gelser and Brad Witt for sponsoring a very important bill on behalf of yours truly and ALDF, namely House Bill 2529. HB 2529 does a number of good things for animals.

The Student Animal Legal Defense Fund of the John Marshall Law School presents "The Early History of Animal Law," a lecture by ALDF Founder and General Counsel Joyce Tischler.

Last Saturday, ALDF's founder, Joyce Tischler, was granted the Excellence in the Advancement of Animal Law Award by the American Bar Association TIPS Animal Law Committee for her exceptional work in the field of animal law.

The July/August 2009 issue of GPSOLO magazine is all about animal law, providing tons of information for practitioners interested in the field - and further validating animal law's place as a recognized part of mainstream legal practice.

The American Bar Association Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section Animal Law Committee is honoring Joyce Tischler, Animal Legal Defense Fund founder and general counsel, with the Excellence in the Advancement of Animal Law Award.

Volume 2 of the Stanford Journal of Animal Law and Policy (SJALP) is now online.

Lawsuit Coincides with Rescue Group's Fight to Prevent the Return of the Eight Horses to the Marion Man Charged with Abusing Them

You might think that one would have a pretty thick skin after spending close to two decades in the trenches as a prosecutor, where the carnage incurred (inflicted) as part of the human experience is very real and ugly.

Attending court proceedings for criminal animal abuse cases is a great way to demonstrate that your community cares about animal protection and expects zero tolerance for animal cruelty.

Court of Appeals to hear case against breed ban.

In 2007, the U.S. National Research Council released a report entitled "Toxicity Testing in the 21st Century: A Vision and A Strategy". This Report proposes a new paradigm for toxicity testing, one that moves away from using live animals and replaces them with alternatives, such as cell cultures, tissues cultures, computer models and other methods.

The Animal Legal Defense Fund would never be able to use the law to advance the interests of animals without the support of legal professionals nationwide. Meet a few of ALDF's pro bono attorneys and learn how each is winning the case against cruelty.

Animal lovers in San Juan Puerto Rico beckoned ALDF for a visit to observe and assist with local efforts to protect and enhance the lives of animals there, and I happily volunteered to go.

Give prosecutors the tools to go after dogfighters like Michael Vick.

Although animal fighting is illegal in all 50 states, the Animal Legal Defense Fund is working to make such crimes easier to prosecute and punishable by stronger penalties.

Matthew Liebman, ALDF's staff attorney, and Bruce Wagman, ALDF's chief outside litigation counsel, were back in court yesterday fighting for Groucho, a horse rescued from a North Carolina field where he and seven other horses were left to starve. Bruce and Matthew visited Groucho at his temporary foster home and Bruce gives us this report.

The story of the Woodley case is beautifully told by journalist, Barry Yeoman and for the first time, millions of people will get an introduction to the gut wrenching, long term suffering that the victims of animal hoarding undergo.

At a hearing today, the court granted the Equine Rescue League's petition and ordered Simpson to pay $1,831, which reflects the cost of nursing Groucho back to health.

When it comes to animals, can the privileged get away with murder?

A first for the California Court of Appeals.

Video of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) Open Program on "Debating Animals as Legal Persons" is now available to watch online. This session explored the legal and normative bases for personhood and why nonhuman animals have been excluded from its ambit.

Animal fighting has been brought to the forefront of the nation's attention by the highly publicized conviction of NFL star quarterback Michael Vick and three of his associates on federal and state charges related to illegal dogfighting.

When she got her law degree, Joyce Tischler knew exactly what she loved, she just didn’t expect to make a living doing it.

Breed-specific bans and restrictions are extremely problematic. Dangerous dogs can be of any breed, or of mixed breeds. Such bans are not only difficult to enforce, but they also unfairly penalize those dogs and guardians who are behaving in accordance with the laws, while doing nothing to address one of the root causes of dangerous dogs – irresponsible guardians.

With a personality that radiates warmth, "Sunny" enthuses about rescuing animals, teaching animal law at the John Marshall Law School and coaching students for the Harvard Law School's National Animal Advocacy Closing Argument Competition.

An attorney with Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, Rene recently assisted with drafting an alliance agreement between ALDF and Lewis and Clark Law School, resulting in the first-of-its kind Center for Animal Law Studies.

Matthew Liebman is a senior attorney at the Animal Legal Defense Fund, where he works in the Litigation Program. Matthew graduated with distinction from Stanford Law School in 2006, where he co-founded a chapter of the Student ALDF.

If you're a lawyer, law professor, law student, legislator or other legal professional, this is a must-have resource!

Come on down and enjoy our chat with Bob!

As mentioned on our website last Fall, Puerto Rico is making some great strides in improving their animal laws, adopting a large portion of ALDF's model laws in legislation that sailed through nearly a year ago.

Animal legal education has reached a new milestone with the appointment of the nation’s first dean in the field, Pamela Frasch.

ALDF received this great news from Robyn Katz, President of the Texas Tech University Student Animal Legal Defense Fund (SALDF).

Tragic results for everyone when wild animals are kept as "pets"

The Chicago-Kent Student Animal Legal Defense Fund hosted the Chicago-Kent "Foie Gras Panel" to debate the legality, wisdom, and ramifications of Chicago's former ban on the sale of foie gras.

Has your prosecutor or other local law enforcement official taken a strong stand against animal cruelty? Let us know! Submit your nominations for who should be honored during next year’s National Justice for Animals Week!

Ask your prosecutor to enforce a Zero Tolerance for Cruelty policy in your community! Tough laws protecting animals are critical in fighting animal abuse - but laws are meaningless without vigorous enforcement. The prosecutors being honored by ALDF during National Justice for Animals Week demonstrate what remarkable power law enforcement officials have in creating real justice for animals.

ALDF’s Litigation Program scored a pair of important legal victories in the past two weeks, both of which will significantly push forward our lawsuits to protect animals.

The Animal Legal Defense Fund is proud to have Congressman Cohen as a co-sponsor for National Justice for Animals Week. Congressman Cohen sponsored Tennessee's T-Bo Law, the nation's first-ever statute providing for noneconomic damages, up to $5000, in cases of intentional or negligent acts resulting in the death of a companion dog or cat.

Most recently, Mr. Brandes has been working on prosecuting large scale breeders, including a case in which more than 130 dogs were seized from the property of defendant Mahlon "Pat" Patrick.

Ms. Trout, with the assistance of the Animal Legal Defense Fund, has prevailed in securing a conviction by jury for animal abuse in the case against the owner of Puddles, a 13-year-old Bichon Frise who had suffered such severe neglect that he had to be euthanized.

Ms. Moawad's aggressive prosecution of profoundly cruel animal abuse in the White Socks kitten case helped improve the flawed sentencing system that capped the state’s ability to put the offenders away for a meaningful period of time.

Ms. Knaan helped introduce new state legislation, AB 243, into the California Assembly—this bill would allow a judge to bar a felon convicted of animal cruelty from owning animals for a certain period after their release. She is currently working on a program designed to encourage reporting of animal fighting and a program intended to educate those who have failed to properly care for their animals.

Mr. Fleck has prosecuted upwards of 50 felony animal cruelty cases, many through verdict after jury trials. Every trial has resulted in conviction, and every conviction, barring extraordinary circumstances, has resulted in a jail or prison sentence.