Not that we like to make our blog all political ‘n stuff. But we can’t help but share our giddiness over the latest ruling out of The Hague. Using the law to positively shape human-animal interactions was among one of the major reasons I decided to attend law school. And I can now proudly demonstrate just how important lawyers can be to bring about that change. Because FINALLY, Japanese commercial whaling in the Antarctic has been held to be in violation of International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling. This is pretty huge, people. No longer will Japan be able to kill hundreds of whales each year under the guise of research. A big victory for the whales (and all wildlife, to be sure), and a great step in the right direction for animal law!