Good morning. Today is Wednesday. We will look at a court ruling that says Happy the Elephant does not have human rights. We’ll also look at Mayor Eric Adams’ planned endorsement of Governor Kathy Hochul and his blueprint for addressing the city’s housing crisis.
It is one of the most fundamental principles in Western law: habeas corpus. The New York State Supreme Court ruled that did not apply to Happy the Elephant.
The court, in a 5-2 vote, denied an animal rights group’s request that Happy be “recognized as a lawful person” and be released from “unlawful imprisonment”. at the Bronx Zoo, where she has lived since 1977.
The Habeas Company – a safeguard against illegal imprisonment – is a means of proceedings “to defend the liberty of human,‘ Janet DiFiore, chief justice, wrote, italicizing the last two words. While she says the habeas corpus is “flexible,” expanding it to Happy “would be far beyond its limits.” She said it was “not likely to apply” to “a non-human animal that is not a ‘person’ illegally detained.”
Judge Rowan Wilson, one of two dissidents in the case involving Happy the Elephant, said the court should issue a habeas certificate to Happy “not just because she’s an unsanitary wild animal. captivity and display, but for our own sake. giving in to others defines who we are as a society. ”
My colleague Ed Shanahan writes that the ruling concluded what appeared to be the first case of its kind to reach such a high court in the United States. And it probably won’t quiet the debate over whether intelligent animals should be seen as something other than things or possessions.
Happy’s case was appealed to by the Nonhuman Rights Group, who wanted her to move to an elephant sanctuary that it said would be a more natural setting and would improve her quality of life. Stephen Wise, the group’s founder, said before the decision was made: “She was a depressed, bad elephant.
The Wildlife Conservation Society, which operates the zoo, said before the ruling that Happy was “carefully looked after by professionals with decades of experience and with whom she has a close relationship”. closely together”, adding that the incident was “blatant exploitation”.
Stephen Gillers, a professor at New York University Law School, said the decision was the right one.
“I think animals in captivity need to be protected and perhaps the legislation should be strengthened to make sure they are well protected,” he told me. “The seals in Central Park Zoo look pretty smart to me. They know when the food is coming. For every species, you can gather evidence of a level of intelligence that warrants legal protection through the courts. “
“This,” he said, “is too nuanced for judicial rulemaking.”
But Laurence Tribe, a Harvard Law School legal scholar who briefly filed in favor of Happy’s case, called the court’s decision “disappointing but not surprising.”
“I regret how much this means for Happy the Elephant,” he told me. “It was an example of judicial blindness when the court said that because we do not recognize the rights of sentient and social animals such as elephants, we cannot extend the treasury of habeas to them. .”
Weather
Enjoy a sunny day in the low 80s. At night, be prepared for a chance of showers, with temperatures dropping into the mid-60s.
PARKING OUTSIDE
Valid until Monday (June 16).
Endorsement of the 11th hour for Hochul
During his full-term campaign, Governor Kathy Hochul had the support of nearly every major Democrat in New York State, with the exception of one – Mayor Eric Adams.
Adams plans to announce his support for Hochul later today. My colleague Nicholas Fandos wrote that it’s a crucial last-minute endorsement that could help her bolster the support of New York City voters as the June 28 primary election approaches.
Adams said in a statement shared with The New York Times that Hochul is “a true partner, working on behalf of New Yorkers every day.” He said that he and Hochul have realized that “we have shared priorities” in improving public safety and access to childcare and housing, along with employment for New York. York is more affordable for commuters.
He said that he looks forward to continuing to work with Hochul “for many years to come.”
The difference the endorsement will make with voters depends on whether Adams is fully involved in the political network that got him the City Hall job. Hochul has struggle to create intrusion and generate enthusiasm among Black voters in Brooklyn and Queens and Latino voters in Brooklyn, Queens, and Bronx, who supported Adams last year and has long formed the basis of winning Democratic coalitions across the state.
A plan to tackle the housing crisis
Mayor Eric Adams has laid out a blueprint to increase home ownership, reduce street homelessness and improve public housing. But housing groups say his budget for housing, $1.8 billion a year less than what he promised when he ran for mayor, will not be enough.
Adams said the success of his plan will depend on how many people the city is housing, although he has repeatedly declined to specify a target. “The more people the better,” he said. “I don’t play these numbers.”
To do that, he called for an expansion of affordable housing by creating new incentives for developers to build housing units. He wants the city to try new ways to preserve units under the existing market. He also promised modest increases in the city’s programs for subsidies and home ownership assistance.
He launched his plan a day after the City Council passed a new, negotiated city budget that would add $5 billion to affordable housing programs over 10 years. That would bring the city’s total investment in affordable housing to $22 billion over that period — a record number, but at $2.2 billion a year, far less than $4 billion. dollars that he raised during last year’s campaign.
The mayor’s plan also calls for a significant quality of life upgrade at the New York City Housing Authority, which has 400,000 residents citywide.
Adams said the plan reflects feedback from renters, the homeless and real estate industry stakeholders. He also cited personal observations from his six months as mayor, including an unverifiable claim that he spent significant time in homeless shelters.
Reaction to the plan was largely favorable from groups representing landowners, who made his promise to cut red tape. Affordable housing advocates have lamented what they say is a lack of boldness.
METROPOLITAN . Diary
Fold the rose
Dear Diary:
I was dashing out of the Canal Street station when I saw him: a teenage boy, hunched over a table and methodically folding origami roses for sale.
Roses – blue, yellow, red and every color in between – were strewn around him in piles that were already four or five deep.
I was late, so I didn’t pause. But as I walked away, I wondered how he would go that day. I didn’t notice anyone else glancing at him as they left the station. How often does he sell? Does he come out every weekend?
Then I was in SoHo, walking behind a man and a woman moving slowly, their pinkies linked together. What caught my eye was a blue origami rose stuck in her backpack.
I laughed. It’s a two-person affair: a trade and love in one.
– Connie Long
Illustrated by Agnes Lee. Send submissions here and Read more Metropolitan Diary here.
So glad we can get together here. See you tomorrow. – JB
PS This is for today Small crosswords and Spell Bee. You can find all our quizzes here.
Melissa GuerreroJeff Boda and Ed Shanahan contributed to New York Today. You can reach the team at [email protected].
