Swiss Animal Lawyers

On March 7, Swiss courts will vote on an initiative that, if passed, will obligate courts to appoint lawyers for animals in cases concerning alleged animal abuse. As a part of the initiative, domestic animals will be given the constitutional right to be represented by lawyers in court. The animal-lawyers initiative has gathered 144,000 signatures but is not supported by the Swiss government, which believes that special offices already set up to deal with animal-abuse cases are sufficient. Due to Switzerland’s policy of popular vote, an initiative needs 100,000 signatures before it can be brought to a national vote and passed into law.