Animal Law Podcast #97: The Case of the Miserable Monkeys and the Apathetic Agency

On this episode of the podcast, I will be talking, once again, with Katherine Meyer, who is the Director of Harvard Law School’s Animal Law and Policy Clinic, about a recent decision in a case handled by the clinic entitled New England Anti Vivisection Society (now known as Rise for Animals v Elizabeth Goldentyre). This case involves the provision of the Animal Welfare Act that requires, or pretends to require, psychological enrichment for primates who are covered by the Act, such as those languishing in laboratories. This is an interesting area of law, but this interview goes from interesting to basically unbelievable as we hear the story of how, under Professor Meyer’s guidance, students at the clinic did some digging and managed to uncover shocking conduct by the Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service (APHIS), the department within the United States Department of Agriculture that administers the Act. We will also discuss the enormous value of clinical education for law students.

Katherine Meyer is the Director of Harvard Law School’s Animal Law & Policy Clinic, where she teaches students how to become advocates for animals in captivity and the wild. Prior to joining Harvard Law School, for 26 years she was a partner in the public interest law firm Meyer & Glitzenstein, described by the Washingtonian Magazine as “the most effective public interest law firm in Washington, D.C.” She has extensive federal and state court litigation experience in a variety of public interest fields, including Animal, Environmental, Administrative, Public Health, Consumer Protection, and Open Government law.

View the full episode with resources here: https://ourhenhouse.org/ALP97/ The Animal Law Podcast is released by the nonprofit organization, Our Hen House. Share your thoughts with us on social media! Find us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (@ourhenhouse).