“This ruling sentences this highly intelligent, deeply lonely, and distressed ____ to a lifetime of physical and psychological harm, confined to a tiny concrete cell without family, friends, or freedom,”

“This ruling sentences this highly intelligent, deeply lonely, and distressed ____ to a lifetime of physical and psychological harm, confined to a tiny concrete cell without family, friends, or freedom.”

That was not a quote about some criminal defense lawyer's client.  The missing word was orca and the quote was by Jared Goodman, director of animal law at the PETA Foundation, after the 11th Circuit ruled against PETA in its quest to release Lolita.

From Reuters:

By a 3-0 vote, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Miami rejected claims by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and others that keeping Lolita in captivity violated the federal Endangered Species Act.

“The evidence, construed in the light most favorable to PETA, does not support the conclusion that the conditions of her captivity pose a threat of serious harm to Lolita,” the court said.

Friday’s decision upheld a lower court ruling. The lawsuit began in July 2015, two months after the National Marine Fisheries Service recognized whales such as Lolita as an endangered species.

***

The appeals court ruled nine days after Bob Barker, the former host of “The Price Is Right” game show and animal rights advocate, called for Lolita’s release in a video posted on PETA’s Twitter account.

Here's the opinion.