Hawaii Supreme Court Hears Honolulu Zoo Elephant Case at Punahou School Before 450 Students
The Hawaii Supreme Court sat at Dillingham Hall of Punahou School in Honolulu on November 9 to hear oral arguments in Nonhuman Rights Project v. City and County of Honolulu, with about 450 students from 11 Oahu schools in attendance. The session was part of the Hawaii judiciary's "Courts in the Community" program, launched in 2012 to strengthen civic education and public understanding of the justice system.
The case concerns Mari and Vaigai, two Asian elephants living at the Honolulu Zoo. The plaintiff seeks to advance legal rights on the elephants' behalf; the City and County of Honolulu was represented by a deputy corporation counsel. Participating schools included St. Damian School, the Hawaii School for the Deaf and Blind, La Pietra Hawaii School for Girls, Kalani High School, Kamehameha Schools Kapalama Campus, Maryknoll School, McKinley High School, Mid-Pacific Institute, Thompson Academy, Punahou School and the University Laboratory School.
The court said letting students watch a real court proceeding up close helps them understand how the judicial process works.
Source: Worldwide Education Network
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：亚洲象（资料图）。图片来源：Wikimedia Commons，Daniel Ramirez from Honolulu, USA 摄，CC BY 2.0。 Image: An Asian elephant (file photo). Source: Wikimedia Commons, photo by Daniel Ramirez from Honolulu, USA, CC BY 2.0.
