Grant to expand Animal Law Program at OCU - Journal Record
OKLAHOMA CITY (JR) – Recent news headlines make it clear that people share passionate feelings about animals, and that they’re willing to debate passionately about animal rights and how laws should be written and enforced to protect them. Consider these from just the last few of months:
• Mexico City legislature may ban bullfighting.
• ‘Greatest Show on Earth’ circus may return without animals.
• Miami Seaquarium ending shows with aging orca.
• US Judge: Pablo Escobar’s hippos legally ‘people.’
An expanding Animal Law Program at Oklahoma City University should offer some interesting insights into issues of the animal world not only for students at the university but for others who may take part in future public lectures, OCU officials said this week.
The Kirkpatrick Foundation, which provided critical support in launching the OCU Animal Law Program in 2019, recently awarded the OCU School of Law $120,000 to advance a goal of making the program one of the best in the nation.
“Animal Law courses offer a wealth of opportunity for students to understand American jurisprudence through the lens of issues related to animal wellbeing,” Kirkpatrick Foundation Executive Director Louisa McCune said in a news release. “Whether studying legal issues around animal cruelty, domestic violence, criminal or corporate crimes within the livestock industry, environmental infringements against protected wildlife, or even violations of the First Amendment, this program will create well-rounded attorneys who are ready to help lead society forward.”
The school plans to hire a visiting professor to teach Animal Law courses during the 2022-23 school year.
Interest in animal issues has always been strong, but it has grown since the program was established two years ago, OCU School of Law Dean Jim Roth said. The Animal Law Group currently counts about 100 OCU student as members.
“Animal Law impacts many traditional areas of legal study, and I know it will benefit our students to have the opportunity to more deeply explore this specific area of the law,” Roth said.
Specific topics to be covered, among others, will include: companion animal law, farmed animal law, wildlife law and equine law.
Additionally, plans are for the visiting professor to provide a public lecture on issues related to animal law.
OCU is far from alone in offering animal law studies. While there were only a handful of institutions that offered classes in the field in 2000, today there are more than 160 in the U.S. and Canada including Harvard, Stanford, Northwestern, the University of Texas, and the Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, Oregon, according to the Animal Legal Defense Fund.
According to the ALDF, animal law is any type of legal action that affects the rights, standing, or welfare of an animal. It can encompass many traditional areas of law, like torts, contract law, and family law. Cases can range from litigation against negligent veterinarians or manufacturers of harmful pet products, to defending the constitutional rights of animal activists.
source: https://journalrecord.com/2022/04/11/grant-to-expand-animal-law-program-at-ocu/
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