Costly Critters: Municipal Liability Under the Endangered Species ActBy Amy Lynn LonerganFebruary 2023Municipal attorneys need to be aware of how a tiny animal or plant can blow a city budget, just as environmental attorneys need to be aware of how this liability issue can be leveraged to create safe habitats.
Illinois Animal Legislation Wrap-UpBy Ledy VanKavageSeptember 2023Summaries of noteworthy animal rights bills signed into law by Governor Pritzker.
Legislative Analysis of S.2019/H.R. 4417: The ‘Ending Agricultural Trade Suppression Act’October 2023The Ending Agricultural Trade Suppression Act would transform the current balance of regulatory authority between the states and federal government by eliminating virtually all state and local legislative powers to impose standards or conditions on the preharveset production of agricultural products entering their own borders.
U.S. Supreme Court Upholds California’s Proposition 12 Preserving Landmark Protections for Pigs, Chickens, and CalvesBy Lisa VelezJune 2023The Supreme Court's decision in NPCC v. Ross upholds California's Proposition 12, a farm animal protection ballot measure that voters passed into law in 2018. Proposition 12 requires that calves raised for veal, mother pigs, and egg-laying hens be housed in systems that comply with specific standards for freedom of movement, cage-free design, and specified minimum floor space, including that they be provided at least enough space to stand up, turn around and extend their extremities.
USDA Animal RulesBy Angela PetersSeptember 2023An overview of recent and proposed changes to USDA rules regarding animals, why they are necessary, and how they change the previous standards.