Taking Down the Tiger Kings and Other Foes

Asher Smith will discuss strategies for advancing animal rights in the courts. His talk will describe his experiences winning legal victories against some of the country’s most notorious animal abusers—including subjects of the Netflix show “Tiger King”—and litigating novel constitutional cases, such as a recent suit challenging a law written by Jesse Helms that deprives birds, mice, and rats bred for laboratories of any protection under federal law.

Asher Smith graduated from Yale Law School and is Director of Litigation at the PETA Foundation. His current cases include actions under the Endangered Species Act against abusive roadside zoos and challenges to companies that falsely advertise their animal products as “humane.” He won precedent-setting victories against multiple exhibitors featured on the Netflix show Tiger King, as well as Pete and Gerry’s Organics, the seller of Nellie’s Free Range Eggs. Smith joined the PETA Foundation in 2018 after working for the law firm Paul, Weiss on matters including multibillion-dollar securities litigation and the fight for gay marriage in the deep south and at the Supreme Court.