NJ Animals May Get Court Advocates Thanks To New Bill

NEW JERSEY — Your Labrador may soon have a lawyer, your Corgi may get a court advocate, and your Rottweiler could have a representative — all because your bulldog is fed up with your...er, legalese.

Bill A1965, which was approved by the New Jersey Assembly Judiciary Committee last month, is up for consideration before the state Senate.

The bill establishes a statewide program in which criminal animal welfare cases can involve a volunteer — an attorney or law student — to represent the animal's best interests in court.

Cases could include dogfighting, cruelty, and other neglect.

The bill is modeled after a Connecticut statute known as "Desmond's Law," named after a dog that was strangled to death by its owner in 2012.

The owner of the dog ended up avoiding jail time. The resulting outrage led to the law.

Criminal cases involving animal abuse often result in penalties that advocates deem too lax, such as community service. In Connecticut, an analysis showed that animal cruelty cases had a low conviction rate.

According to a story on NJ 101.5, Hudson County-based Assemblyman Raj Mukherji, a sponsor of the new bill, said no one in the criminal justice system is there to look out for the animals' interests.

Mukherji said the law would have little financial impact, but could help judges and others in the state.

Read more about the law on the State Legislature website here. Read a summary on a legislation tracking website here.

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