Federal Judge Tosses PETA's Whale Slavery Lawsuit

Judge Dismisses PETA Lawsuit

A judge Wednesday threw out a federal lawsuit alleging five performing killer whales at SeaWorld parks in San Diego and Florida are being held as slaves in violation of the 13th Amendment.

PETA, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, filed the lawsuit last October, seeking the orcas' immediate release from captivity on grounds that the 13th Amendment banning slavery should apply to animals.

Both sides presented their case before U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Miller on Monday. During an hour of arguments and questioning, the judge pointed out that the 13th Amendment was intended to apply to humans held in slavery.

The lawsuit—the first to contend that an animal is entitled to protection under the 13th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution—named five orcas as plaintiffs, three based in San Diego and two in Orlando, Fla.

PETA spokesman David Perle said the court action was the first step toward "the inevitable day when all animals will be free from enslavement for human amusement. Today's decision does not change the fact that the orcas who once lived naturally wild and free, are today kept as slaves by SeaWorld."

He said the organization would "re-group" and determine how to continue working toward the legal protection of animals.

Jeff Kerr, an attorney for PETA, said the lawsuit applied only to orcas at SeaWorld and had nothing to do with household pets and other animals.

An attorney for SeaWorld, Theodore Shaw, said argued Monday that courts do not give animals the legal right to sue.

SeaWorld issued a statement calling the lawsuit a "waste of the court's valuable time and taxpayers' money."

"We cannot hope that this is PETA's last publicity stunt, but we can now refocus our energy in more positive and constructive ways: delivering high- quality educational experiences to our guests and providing the highest possible standard of care to our animals," according to the statement.

Marine Identified

Authorities Thursday released the name of  a Camp Pendleton-based Marine who was killed by an Orange County sheriff's deputy in the parking lot of San Clemente High School earlier this week.

He was 31-year-old Manny Levi Loggins, said Orange County sheriff's spokesman Jim Amormino.

The shooting occurred about 4:45 a.m. Tuesday, after the Marine pulled into the school parking lot when a deputy initiated a traffic stop, Amormino said. Precisely what triggered the shooting was not immediately spelled out.

Camp Pendleton officials plan to release more details about the man Thursday.

MTS Contest for Students

A 1,000-word essay on using high-tech mobile devices to make public transportation easier to use could be worth a new laptop computer for college-bound high school seniors participating in the Metropolitan Transportation System's 10th annual essay contest announced Wednesday.

Forty laptop computers will be awarded for the essays judged to be the best, according to the MTS. The application deadline is April 13, but entries sent in by March 16 will be eligible to win an iPad 2.

The organizers of the MTS Coca-Cola Laptop Scholarship specifically mentioned the Go! system that enables smart phone users to find out when the next bus or trolley will arrive.

Application forms are available online at sdmts.com and at The Transit Store at Broadway and First Avenue downtown.

MTS said the application deadline is Friday, April 13, but students who submit their application and essay by March 16 could win an iPad 2.

-City News Service