Perez v. County of Monterey: There is no constitutional right to keep roosters
In Lopez v. County of Monterey, the Sixth Appellate District held that there is no constitutional right to keep roosters. Plaintiffs unsuccessfully claimed that the County’s ordinance limiting the number of roosters at any given site violated the takings clause, dormant commerce clause, equal protection, bill of attainder, and rights to privacy. The court summarily rejected each of these claims.
This is a case that leaves the reader scratching her head: why didn’t the plaintiffs just apply for a rooster-keeping permit? Why did the court publish this case? How many rooster-keeping disputes arise each year?