User:Masem/draft/Cetacean Community v. Bush

Cetacean Community v. Bush was a 2004 case before the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. The case, brought by Lanny Sinkin who acted as the self-appointed attorney representing "all of the world's whales, porpoises, and dolphins", asserted that the cetaceans in the oceans were being harmed physically by a new sonar technology developed by the United States Navy, and sought an injunction against the use of the sonar equipment until the government had been properly reviewed its impacts on aquatic life in light of the Endangered Species Act, the Marine Mammal Protection Act, and the National Environmental Policy Act.

The suit was effectively dismissed in both the lower Hawaiian District Court and at the Ninth Court, stating that the animals do not have standing under Article III to bring the suit forward under any of these three laws, but did acknowledge that Congress has the ability in creating legislation that would allow representatives for animals to serve as plaintiffs in future cases.