Legal personhood recognition for two chimpanzees by Judge

On 20 April 2015, for the first time in history a judge in New York granted an order to show cause and writ of habeas corpus on behalf of a nonhuman animal.
In a case brought by the Nonhuman Rights Project (NhRP), Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Barbara Jaffe issued an order to show cause and writ of habeas corpus on behalf of two chimpanzees, Hercules and Leo, who are being used for biomedical experimentation at Stony Brook University on Long Island, New York.
Under the law of New York State, only a “legal person” may have an order to show cause and writ of habeas corpus issued in his or her behalf. The Court has therefore implicitly determined that Hercules and Leo are “persons.” For the full text of the article: http://bawp.org.au/cases-of-interest/