Most people believe our legal system protects animals from cruelty. And most people, in holding this belief, are wrong. 

I speak to the renowned animal law scholar and attorney Mariann Sullivan on how the law has been used to cover up cruelty through a series of exemptions to animal cruelty law for “customary practices” in the industry. Essentially, if a factory farm commits an act of animal torture enough times – e.g., forcibly impregnating thousands of dairy cows, rather than just one –  it can then claim its actions are legal because they have become so common that they are “customary.” But there is a very simple path for advocates to overcome this insidious trick: point out that, even if common in the industry, acts of brutality are still not accepted by the public. To the contrary, what the public supports is animal rescue, not animal torture. Mariann and I have a deep conversation about the pros and cons of this approach. I’d love to hear what you think, too! 

Follow Mariann on social media-

FB: https://www.facebook.com/marisul

IG: https://www.instagram.com/mariann_sullivan/

XTwitter: https://twitter.com/marisul LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariann-sullivan-b3901411/

Our Hen House/The Animal Law Podcast-

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ourhenhouse

Website: https://www.ourhenhouse.org/

FB: https://www.facebook.com/OurHenHouse

IG: https://www.instagram.com/ourhenhouse/

XTwitter: https://twitter.com/ourhenhouse

“Exes & Oh!s” Substack: https://exesandohs.substack.com/

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Chapters:

Chapter 1 00:00-21:35 Intro, jail, the legal system, legal standing for animals, legal exemptions for animal cruelty laws, Smithfield Trial arguments, Sonoma Trial appeal, & small county courts

Chapter 2 21:36-35:31 Mariann’s journey into animal law and the animal rights movement, cognitive dissonance and compassion, & politicizing animal rights

Chapter 3 35:32-58:44 Constitutional amendment for animal rights, Mariann’s journey continued, addictive food, vegan food, types of messaging, & jury trials

Chapter 4 58:45-1:21:42 Mariann’s upcoming article, the theory of change, social media, & open rescue trials

Chapter 5 1:21:43-1:47:05 Consumer protection laws, plant-based food labeling requirement lawsuits, politicians, Cass Sunstein & Ezra Klein, & animal cruelty laws & cases in different states

Chapter 6 1:47:06-1:54:07 Final question: what inspires Mariann outside of the law, & follow her podcasts & on Substack (links above)

Chapter 7 1:54:08- 1:54:23 Outro video - Thank you for watching!