Episodes

  • A Case of Significant Evil: Animal Law, Activism, and Constitutional Rights

    A Case of Significant Evil: Animal Law, Activism, and Constitutional Rights
    Jan 30 2026
    In this compelling episode, Mariann Sullivan interviews Wayne Hsiung and attorney Steffen Seitz about Wayne’s conviction following animal rescues at factory farms in California. The case hinges on several groundbreaking legal arguments, including the judge’s refusal to allow a necessity defense for rescuing suffering animals, constitutional concerns about the treatment of veganism as a belief system, and First Amendment implications for…
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    1 hr and 19 mins
  • The Case of the Lobster, a “Living, Sentient Creature”

    The Case of the Lobster, a “Living, Sentient Creature”
    Dec 26 2025
    In a bold legal challenge that could redefine animal protection law, PETA is taking on the Maine Lobster Festival for steaming 16,000 lobsters alive on public parkland. The case hinges on Maine’s unique animal cruelty statute that protects “every living sentient creature” – a definition that evolves with scientific understanding. PETA’s Director of Litigation, Asher Smith, explains their creative approach using…
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    54 mins
  • Animals and the Constitution with Michael Dorf

    Animals and the Constitution with Michael Dorf
    Nov 28 2025
    In this intellectually stimulating episode of the Animal Law Podcast, Mariann Sullivan speaks with constitutional law expert Michael Dorf about his innovative course “Animals and the Constitution.” Dorf shares how fundamental legal principles intersect with animal protection, revealing both the limitations and opportunities within our constitutional framework for advancing animal rights. This episode explores: Constitutional standing for animals: How courts determine…
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    1 hr and 3 mins
  • The Case of the Overlooked Law: Challenging Animal Confinement Through Forgotten Legislation

    The Case of the Overlooked Law: Challenging Animal Confinement Through Forgotten Legislation
    Oct 31 2025
    Attorneys Will Lowrey (Animal Partisan) and Jessica Blome (Greenfire Law) join Mariann to discuss their battle to use California’s century-old animal protection laws to help dairy calves confined in tiny hutches. Despite having clear evidence that a dairy farm was violating Penal Code Section 597t by denying calves adequate exercise, they encountered a frustrating maze of procedural obstacles that prevented them…
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    49 mins
  • The Case of Banning the Truth in a Public Park | First Amendment, Animal Agriculture & Free Speech

    The Case of Banning the Truth in a Public Park | First Amendment, Animal Agriculture & Free Speech
    Sep 26 2025
    In this thought-provoking episode of the Animal Law Podcast, we dive into a First Amendment case that cuts straight to the heart of animal advocacy: can the government prevent activists from showing the public what actually happens to animals in industrial agriculture? Mariann speaks with Sara Berinhout of FIRE (Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression) and John Greil of the University…
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    1 hr and 11 mins
  • Animal Law Breakthrough: Court Recognizes Dogs as Family Members with Christopher Berry

    Animal Law Breakthrough: Court Recognizes Dogs as Family Members with Christopher Berry
    Aug 29 2025
    This episode of the Animal Law Podcast features Christopher Berry, Executive Director of the Nonhuman Rights Project, discussing a groundbreaking court case that recognizes companion animals as family members in certain legal contexts. Mariann and Christopher explore how this New York decision challenges decades of precedent that treated beloved pets as mere property rather than family, potentially opening new doors for…
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    1 hr and 7 mins
  • Challenging “Alligator Alcatraz”: The Legal Fight to Protect the Everglades with Elise Bennett

    Challenging “Alligator Alcatraz”: The Legal Fight to Protect the Everglades with Elise Bennett
    Jul 25 2025
    In this compelling episode, Mariann Sullivan speaks with Elise Bennett, Senior Attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, about the lawsuit challenging the controversial immigration detention facility in Florida’s Everglades. Bennett details how this hastily constructed center in Big Cypress National Preserve threatens endangered species, water quality, and the integrity of a crucial ecosystem that has received billions in restoration funding…
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    55 mins
  • Redefining Democracy: How Constitutional Law Could Embrace All Sentient Life

    Redefining Democracy: How Constitutional Law Could Embrace All Sentient Life
    Jun 27 2025
    In a groundbreaking episode of The Animal Law Podcast, we explored radical new concepts that could fundamentally transform how constitutional law treats animals. Host Mariann Sullivan welcomed Cambridge University’s Raffael Fasel and Queen Mary University’s John Adenitire to discuss their book “Animals and the Constitution: Towards Sentience-Based Constitutionalism” – a work that challenges centuries of legal tradition by proposing constitutional frameworks…
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    1 hr and 2 mins