American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals v. Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus
United States Court of Appeal for the District of Columbia Circuit
317 F.3d 334 (2003)
- Written by Kyli Cotten, JD
Facts
Ringling Brothers (defendant) used Asian elephants in its circus acts. Ringling Brothers allegedly subjected the elephants to cruel conditions such as being stabbed by sharp hooks and chained for long periods of time. Thomas Rider (plaintiff) witnessed the abuse firsthand as a former elephant handler working for Ringling Brothers. Over the course of his two-year employment, Rider formed a strong emotional bond and affinity for the elephants. Rider eventually left his job after being unable to witness further mistreatment. Rider and several animal-rights organizations (plaintiffs) subsequently brought a citizen suit under the Endangered Species Act, 16 U.S.C. § 1531. The complaint alleged that Ringling Brothers mistreated the elephants in violation of the act. The district court dismissed the complaint, finding that Rider and the animal-rights organizations lacked standing under Article III of the United States Constitution. On appeal, Rider argued that his emotional attachment to the elephants gives rise to standing.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Randolph, J.)
What to do next…
Here's why 814,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
- Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,300 briefs, keyed to 988 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
- The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
- Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
- Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.