The Hen Report: “That’s Not How The Law Works” | Legal Battles for Animal Rights

Our Hen House: Vegan & Animal Rights Movement | Stories from the Frontlines of Animal Liberation

In this powerful episode of The Hen Report, Mariann Sullivan and Jasmin Singer speak with Steffen Seitz, a Yale Law School graduate and fellow with the Animal Activist Legal Defense Project at the University of Denver, about critical legal developments affecting animal rights activism across the United States.

This episode explores:

• The recent conviction of activist Zoe Rosenberg on felony and misdemeanor charges for rescuing sick chickens from a Petaluma slaughterhouse, and the court’s controversial denial of the necessity defense
• The groundbreaking Ridglan Farms case, where activists succeeded in forcing the shutdown of a major beagle breeding facility that supplied dogs for research after documenting severe animal welfare violations
• Updates on Wayne Hsiung’s appeal following his conviction for leading open rescue demonstrations, with support from organizations like the ACLU and Harvard’s Animal Law Clinic
• How strategic legal advocacy is creating precedents that challenge the industrial exploitation of animals while defending activists’ right to protest
• The growing importance of specialized legal support for animal advocates facing prosecution for compassionate actions

RESOURCES

• • • Animal Activist Legal Defense Project
    • Animal Activist Legal Defense Project on X
    • Animal Activist Legal Defense Project on Instagram
    • Animal Activist Legal Defense Project on Bluesky

We are thrilled to expand the accessibility of our podcast by offering written transcripts of the interviews! Click here to read this episode's interview.

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