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Joe Wills

@drjoewills.bsky.social
667 followers 204 following 248 posts

Associate Professor, University of Leicester. Research interests: animal rights law, human rights law, legal theory. 🌱

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Joe Wills @drjoewills.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
The Superior Court of Pennsylvania issues a terse decision denying a petition to free five elephants from zoo captivity. The two paragraph judgment contains these chilling sentences: www.nonhumanrights.org/wp-content/u...
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Joe Wills @drjoewills.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
The brief is available here: www.nonhumanrights.org/wp-content/u...
nonhumanrights.org
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Joe Wills @drjoewills.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Just filed: a UK legal experts' amicus brief in support of Asian elephants Mari and Vaigai before the Hawaiʻi Supreme Court. The brief argues that elephants have the right to contest their confinement through a common law writ of habeas corpus.
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Joe Wills @drjoewills.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Happy Birthday Steve. What could be better than excess cupcakes?
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Animal Justice @animal-justice.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
✨ What if we didn't wait for legal change to start building compassionate futures for animals? At #ALAC2026, Elan Abrell, Iselin Gambert, M.H. Tse, & Matthew Liebman discuss prefigurative animal law & multispecies coexistence. 👉 bit.ly/4hsfSYM
A promotional poster for the Animal Law & Advocacy Conference, taking place October 2-4 in Toronto. The theme is "Prefigurative Animal Law: Actualizing Human-animal Utopias in the Here & Now." It features photos and names of individuals listed as Elan Abrell, Iselin Gambert, M.H. Tse, and Matthew Liebman. Sponsored by the University of Toronto, the poster includes logos for Animal Justice and the law program. Visit alaconference.ca for more information.
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Joe Wills @drjoewills.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
* most of the *Anglophone* common law world.
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Joe Wills @drjoewills.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Courts and legislators across the US, Canada, Australia and NZ have expressly recognised that companion animals in possession disputes are more than mere property and that their welfare matters. The UK lags behind the rest of the common law world, no legislative provisions and scarce case law.
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Joe Wills @drjoewills.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Illinois becomes the first US state to legislate to require courts to consider the wellbeing of companion animals in possession disputes even where the parties are not married. aldf.org/article/illi...
aldf.org
Illinois Law Expands "Pet Custody" Principles Beyond Marriage
Effective July 1, 2026, Indiana’s House Enrolled Act 1165 grants full civil and criminal immunity to members of the public who rescue endangered animals from locked vehicles, modernizes animal cruelty...
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Peter Singer @petersinger.info · 22/09/2026
Imagine being lowered into a gas chamber while fully conscious. The gas causes pain as it dissolves into the moist tissues of your eyes, nose, mouth and lungs. Breathing becomes extremely painful. And you may remain conscious for up to 60 seconds before finally blacking out.
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The Nonhuman Rights Project @nonhumanrights.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Granting animals legal rights isn’t about giving them all of the rights humans have—it’s about recognizing who they already are. Hawaiʻi attorney & founding chair of the HSBA #AnimalLaw Section, Savannah Sherman, breaks down the NhRP’s case for elephants Mari & Vaigai: bit.ly/4hg85NS
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Joe Wills @drjoewills.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Oh god, what this time?
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International Centre for Animal Rights and Ethics @icareanimals.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
What does it mean to talk about animals having rights in law? ⚖️🐾 🎓 In Module 1 of our free, self-paced CIARL On-Demand Course, Dr Silvina Pezzetta explores animal rights vs welfare, sentience, current legal protections and key global challenges. 🔗 Apply: icare-animals.org/ciarl-ondemand
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Joe Wills @drjoewills.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Spotted in the wild: books by @katiecmoliver.bsky.social and @stevecooke.org! at @housmansbookshop.bsky.social
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Animal Justice @animal-justice.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
🚨 BREAKING: Animal Justice has filed to take Ontario’s dangerous ag gag law to the Supreme Court! Much of the law was restored in June, undoing our legal victory & effectively silencing whistleblowers & journalists. We won't stop fighting for animals & freedom of expression! 🐮🐷🐥 #StopAgGagLaws
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The Jeremy Coller Centre for Animal Sentience @lseanimalsentience.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
📢 Abstract submissions are now open for SENTIENCE: Science, Ethics, Law, a new conference exploring the scientific, philosophical, ethical, policy-relevant, and legal aspects of animal sentience. Full details and submission link: www.lse.ac.uk/asset-librar...
Infographic for the call for the abstracts.
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Joe Wills @drjoewills.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
The tribunal couldn't read s.24 compatibly with Convention rights and lacks the power to issue a declaration of incompatibility under the HR Act. It's now down to the appellate courts to issue such as declaration and Parliament to respond by abolishing s.24 or (more likely) narrowing its scope.
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Joe Wills @drjoewills.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Important recent ruling. The Upper Tribunal rules that s.24 of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act - which prohibits meaningful transparency around animal experimentation - disproportionately interferes with animal advocates' free speech rights under the ECHR. www.iclr.co.uk/document/202...
iclr.co.uk
Cruelty Free International v Information Commissioner & Anor
ICLR.4
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Joe Wills @drjoewills.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
New video from @animalrising.org. Heart breaking, gut wrenching, essential viewing. www.youtube.com/watch?v=efbU...
youtube.com
What Happens to a Mother Pig Inside a UK Factory Farm? | Hidden Camera Investigation
YouTube video by Animal Rising
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Joe Wills @drjoewills.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
In some Indian animal rights cases, the judges do not mince their words: indiankanoon.org/doc/14951894...
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Joe Wills @drjoewills.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
New video from @animalrising.org. Heart breaking, gut wrenching, essential viewing. www.youtube.com/watch?v=efbU...
youtube.com
What Happens to a Mother Pig Inside a UK Factory Farm? | Hidden Camera Investigation
YouTube video by Animal Rising
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ContempraInn 🌹 @contemprainn.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
The amazing rufous hornero bird building its iconic, oven-shaped clay nest on a tree branch. It’s waterproof and cozy
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Joe Wills @drjoewills.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
"Rather than allow compassion for animals to become another tool in the right’s system of hierarchical politics, the left has... a duty... to elevate a moral framework for animal rights that objects to violence against humans and nonhumans alike on universal grounds." newrepublic.com/article/2137...
newrepublic.com
How MAGA Stole Animal Rights from the Left
And how we can steal it back.
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The Nonhuman Rights Project @nonhumanrights.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
It’s official: The Hawai'i Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in our case for Mari & Vaigai, two elephants held captive at the Honolulu Zoo, on 11/9/26. ⚖️ The hearing will be open to the public + livestreamed. Donate now & support their case: bit.ly/4z3RnJx
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Marina Bolotnikova @mbolotnikova.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Rare, amazing opportunities for someone based in the UK to report or edit factory farming stories at the Guardian: workwithus.theguardian.com/job-search/e... workwithus.theguardian.com/job-search/e...
workwithus.theguardian.com
Reporter, Animals Farmed
Join our team at the Guardian and be a part of a diverse and inclusive global organisation that delivers fearless, investigative journalism, and holds power to account. Our team of award-winning journ...
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Nico Müller @nicodmueller.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
"This article argues that the law’s ignorance of the harm of killing leads to its trivialization in practice and, consequently, undermines the ethical legitimacy of deadly animal research projects." #animalresearch #3rs #animalethics doi.org/10.1007/s11019-026-10382-y
Screenshot of the abstract of the article "How ignoring the harm of killing undermines the ethical legitimacy of animal research: a case study from Switzerland" by Christian Rodriguez, Charlotte Blattner, and Angela Martin. The abstract reads:

The most established approach to legitimizing animal research worldwide is through Harm-Benefit Analyses (HBAs), which require that the expected benefits of research be compared to and outweigh the harms done to animals. For this process to be ethically sound, all relevant harms must be considered. However, HBAs leave one fundamental harm insufficiently considered: killing, i.e., the deliberate termination of animals’ lives as part of the research project. This article argues that the law’s ignorance of the harm of killing leads to its trivialization in practice and, consequently, undermines the ethical legitimacy of deadly animal research projects. While our argument applies broadly, we use Switzerland as an illustrative case example. We first disentangle, from an ethical standpoint, the harms that killings inflict on animals in research. Second, we show that most harms of killing, both to the inherent worth and wellbeing of animals, are not accounted for in law, allowing killings to be trivialized. Third, we propose that killing should always (a) be subject to ethical and legal scrutiny by animal research commissions, (b) have to pass the necessity test (i.e., killing should be permitted if, and only if, it is necessary to achieve the purpose of the experiment), and (c) be included in HBAs. Fourth, we consider common objections to our arguments, and, in concluding, show why recognizing the harm of killing is essential to upholding the ethical legitimacy of animal research.
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The Animal Law Foundation @animallawfdn.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Last night, The Animal Law Foundation had the great pleasure of bringing together organisations, lawyers, and advocates who work hard to improve animal protection and celebrate the progress made for animals under the law. 🧵
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Barbara J. King @bjking.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
This article and video about Julie, an elephant formerly forced to perform in a circus and now residing at the expansive Pangea Elephant Sanctuary in Portugal, brought tears to my eyes. These are good people, helping her, and soon, others. #elephants #animalwelfare #animalrights #Portugal
good.is
After 40 years in a Portuguese circus, elephant retires to become the first resident of a new sanctuary
Julie the elephant starts a new life.
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Advocates for Animals | Solicitors @animallawyersuk.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
The High Court has granted @animalaid.org.uk permission to apply for judicial review of the Public Order Act 2023 (Interference With Use or Operation of Key National Infrastructure) Regulations 2026.
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Advocates for Animals | Solicitors @animallawyersuk.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
@joeycarbstrong.bsky.social investigation on Norfolk Free Range Harford Farm site captured a farm worker beating a pig to death. The farm pleaded guilty and was convicted and fined for the actions of its employee. See www.advocates-for-animals.com/post/norfolk...
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Joe Wills @drjoewills.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
Absolutely wonderful news! “Plans for the world's first commercial octopus farm have been abandoned in a big win for animal welfare after years of sustained pressure from NGOs, scientists and the public.” www.worldanimalprotection.org/latest/news/...
worldanimalprotection.org
Victory! World's First Octopus Farm Plans Scrapped
Plans for the world's first commercial octopus farm have been abandoned after years of sustained pressure from NGOs, scientists and the public.
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Peter Singer @petersinger.info · 24/07/2026
open.substack.com
“KEY OUT”: When a Chimpanzee Asks to Be Free
Seven chimpanzees are confined in a Michigan roadside zoo. One state Supreme Court Justice says the law should reconsider whether they have a right to freedom.
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Raffael Fasel @raffaelfasel.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
Published a while back but still well worth reading: former New York Supreme Court Judge Barbara Jaffe reflects on the ridicule she faced for bravely allowing a hearing on a habeas corpus petition filed on behalf of two chimpanzees held in a research lab: thefulcrum.us/rule-of-law/....
thefulcrum.us
Beyond Death Threats: Justice Jaffe on the Judicial Courage Required to Stand Up to Ridicule in the Chimpanzee Rights Case.
While some believe that being a judge is an easy gig that requires only a dartboard, it is a challenging position that takes courage, especially when a judge must render an unpopular decision. There a...
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Joe Wills @drjoewills.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
The dissent rejects the lower appeals court’s anachronistic appeals to 18th century jurisprudence and selective reading of social contract theory and theology. The work of Peter Singer and Andrew Linzey is cited to indicate the need for a more inclusive approach to legal rights.
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Joe Wills @drjoewills.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
Michigan Supreme Court denies Nonhuman Rights Project’s habeas appeal on behalf of chimpanzees in a roadside zoo. 1 dissent by Justice Welch argues the court should consider scientific evidence about chimps to determine if habeas rights should be expanded. www.courts.michigan.gov/4a099b/sitea...
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Joe Wills @drjoewills.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
The European Court of Human Rights affirms that veganism is a protected belief and the failure to provide an effective procedure to consider requests for vegan diets for prisoners violates their right to an effective remedy hudoc.echr.coe.int/eng#{%22item...
hudoc.echr.coe.int
HUDOC - European Court of Human Rights
The HUDOC database provides access to the case-law of the Court (Grand Chamber, Chamber and Committee judgments and decisions, communicated cases, advisory opinions and legal summaries from the Case-L...
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Joe Wills @drjoewills.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Some lawyers and political actors in the UK are starting to champion legal personhood and rights for ecosystems like rivers. Then why not for sentient, highly intelligent, social and emotional beings like pigs? open.substack.com/pub/lawyersf...
open.substack.com
If a stretch of chalk stream can be a person in law, why can't a pig?
In 2017, New Zealand's Parliament did something remarkable: it passed a law making a river a legal person.
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Joe Wills @drjoewills.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
@raffaelfasel.bsky.social - this article uses your and Sean's 'thin/thick' rights distinction but does not credit you!
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The Jeremy Coller Centre for Animal Sentience @lseanimalsentience.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
In Argentina, two goldfish have recently been recognised as legal ‘subjects of rights’ - a new case highlighting legal attention to animal sentience www.i24news.tv/en/news/inte...
i24news.tv
Two goldfish just won a court case - and it could change how we think about animals forever - i24NEWS
An Argentine court just ruled that two fish in a sushi restaurant window are "sentient beings" with legal rights. Here's what that actually means, and why it matters far beyond the fish tank
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Joe Wills @drjoewills.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
@visakurki.bsky.social gives this year's Tom Regan Memorial Lecture. To my mind it addresses one of the most important questions for animal law scholars: how to produce research that is practically useful whilst also challenging the status quo. Worth a watch! www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6j3...
youtube.com
The Tom Regan Memorial Lecture 2026
YouTube video by Culture & Animals Foundation
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Joe Wills @drjoewills.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
UK Supreme Court rules in favour of anti-dairy protestors! Public nuisance charge against them for obstructing a dairy site is dismissed because obstructing access to private premises does not interfere with any public rights. supremecourt.uk/cases/uksc-2...
supremecourt.uk
R (Respondent) v McCafferty and others (Appellants) - UK Supreme Court
Does obstructing access to, and exit from, a private site by blocking a private road leading up to it involve an interference with “rights that may be exercised or enjoyed by the public at large” for ...
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Joe Wills @drjoewills.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
Really welcome news. The government had no electoral mandate to roll back jury trials and the effects of doing on the criminal justice system would have been dramatic, especially for cases involving protest, civil disobedience and direct action. www.lbc.co.uk/article/andy...
lbc.co.uk
'Lynchpin of a fair society' Andy Burnham to scrap plans to curb jury trials | LBC
Andy Burnham is reportedly preparing to remove controversial plans to curb jury trials from David Lammy’s courts bill.
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Joe Wills @drjoewills.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
Useful blog on the legal black hole animals bred and used for scientific experiments are trapped in. Of all the areas of UK animal law, the position of animal research subjects is the grimmest. For all intents and purposes they have no protections at all. open.substack.com/pub/lawyersf...
open.substack.com
The Law That Lets a Beagle Farm Cook in a Heatwave, and Why No One Can Take It to Court
Cambridgeshire spent days over 30°C last week, and right now, it is experiencing similar temperatures.
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Raffael Fasel @raffaelfasel.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
Glad to see my review in @thetls.bsky.social of @lsiraganian.bsky.social‘s The Problem of Personhood. Unfortunately, it is not without its own problems: www.the-tls.com/philosophy/c...
the-tls.com
An argument against non-human rights
In March 2022, Idaho passed a law that banned the granting of legal personhood to “environmental elements, artificial intelligence, nonhuman animals, and
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Joe Wills @drjoewills.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
Really great to have an organisation who will focus on - and develop expertise around - private prosecution of animal welfare violations in commercial settings. We know there’s a huge enforcement gap in this area, it’s high time the animal protection movement took matters into their own hands
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Joe Wills @drjoewills.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
Lawyers for Animals are prosecuting a commercial pig farm and their Farm Manager for 30 alleged animal welfare offences. The charges follow an undercover investigation into the farm in 2024 and a subsequent expert veterinary review. lawyersforanimals.substack.com/p/cranswick-...
lawyersforanimals.substack.com
Cranswick Farm and Farm Manager Face 30 Charges
Cranswick Country Foods PLC subsidiary and Farm Manager charged with animal welfare offences at Lincolnshire’s North Moor pig farm
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Joe Wills @drjoewills.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
Read this thread for a summary of one of the most effective and inspirational animal rights campaigns of recent times. Activists, lawyers, politicians and rescue organisations all worked together to shut down the second-largest U.S. breeder of beagle puppies for laboratory experimentation.
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Joe Wills @drjoewills.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Hearing the news that many thousands of sentient beings died in extreme suffering and thinking 'what a waste of resources!' is so indicative of all that is wrong with how humans view the other animals.
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Joe Wills @drjoewills.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Quite apart from anything else, it would be nice if the media didn't adopt hackneyed neologisms from the worst corners of the internet.
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Our Hen House @ourhenhouse.org · 26/06/2026
An appeals court overturned two convictions — but avoided answering the main question: does animal suffering count as a legal emergency? New Animal Law Podcast breaks down why this case is bigger than one verdict. Listen on your fav podcatcher, watch on YouTube, or check out ourhenhouse.org/alp133
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Joe Wills @drjoewills.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
100s of 1000s of exploited birds die from heatstroke This happens every time there’s a heatwave An inevitable outcome of the industrial farming system It barely makes a dent in the news People turn a blind eye. Governments, industry, consumers. All to blame. www.reuters.com/business/env...
reuters.com
Heatwave kills hundreds of thousands of poultry in France
Extreme heat in France has killed hundreds ‌of thousands of poultry, overwhelming carcass collection services and prompting authorities to consider on-farm burial in the two biggest poultry-producing ...
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