They may not be meowing, barking or mooing their way through depositions anytime soon, but if Switzerland’s animal rights activists get their way, domestic creatures may be given the constitutional right to be represented by (human) lawyers in court.
Swiss voters will go to the polls on March 7 to decide whether each of the country’s 26 cantons (similar to states) should be obligated to appoint a special attorney to represent pets and farm animals in court in cases of abuse.
The initiative is just one of many put before the electorate every year in Switzerland’s unique brand of direct democracy, in which anyone can bring an issue up for a vote provided he or she has enough signatures on a petition.
Full story: Lawyers for Animals? Switzerland Puts It to a Vote! – Yahoo! News