Last month, the Oregon Supreme Court issued two rulings widely celebrated as major victories for animal rights, granting animals legal protections formerly reserved for humans.
In State v. Nix, the court held that animals — namely, 20 goats and horses, found starving among the bodies of others that hadn’t made it, on the defendant Arnold Nix’s farm — can each be considered individual “victims” under the law.
In State v. Fessenden, also involving an emaciated horse, the court upheld the warrantless seizure of an animal found to be starving, under an “exigent circumstances” exception to the Fourth Amendment.
These decisions have been cheered by many in the animal welfare community and by law enforcement.
If you’d like to discuss equine law, contact Adam Trenk, contact atrenk@roselawgroup.com
