It’s Day 3 of the Chicken Rescue Trial of Zoe Rosenberg in Santa Rosa, California, and the courthouse is buzzing with anticipation. Zoe Rosenberg is a 23-year-old activist on trial for rescuing four chickens that she says were sick and suffering from a transport truck at Perdue’s Petaluma Poultry facility in 2023. She faces one felony conspiracy charge and three misdemeanors. Her case is quickly becoming a flashpoint in a much larger debate: Do suffering animals have the right to be rescued?

Inside the courtroom, about 100 supporters packed the benches, many traveling long distances to show solidarity with Rosenberg. Outside, the energy is just as intense. UnchainedTV is live on the ground, streaming real-time coverage to viewers around the world. Host Jane Velez-Mitchell leads a panel of legal experts, ethicists, and animal protection advocates who break down each development and explore what’s at stake — for Rosenberg personally and for the future of animal rights.

Mainstream attention is growing fast. The Associated Press, KQED, and The Daily Californian are all reporting on the trial’s dramatic opening. And, the Los Angeles Times just published a striking op-ed by law professors Kristen Stilt and Matthew Liebman, titled “Why rescuing animals should never be a crime.” The article highlights Rosenberg’s case directly, underscoring how this trial raises fundamental questions about the criminalization of compassion.

Already, the defense team from the Animal Activist Legal Defense Project has won important rulings. After 20 months of wearing a GPS ankle monitor, Rosenberg finally has the device removed — a symbolic moment of relief for her and her supporters. Judge Arthur Gnoss also ruled on critical evidence questions. He decided that defense witnesses cannot testify about past investigations into Petaluma Poultry facilities, limiting jurors’ exposure to broader allegations of cruelty. However, Rosenberg herself is allowed to testify about how those investigations shaped her beliefs and intent. She is also permitted to explain how the police-sanctioned rescue of Rose, a chicken removed from Petaluma Poultry and placed in her care, shaped her conviction that rescuing animals in distress is both legal and necessary.
Another ruling opens the door for the jury to hear about the condition of the four birds Rosenberg carried out in June 2023 — Poppy, Ivy, Aster, and Azalea. Rosenberg says these chickens had parasites, were weakened by illness, and in urgent need of medical care. Their veterinary records can admitted into evidence, and caretaker Carla Cabral is expected to testify about their condition after the rescue. For the defense, this testimony supports Rosenberg’s claim that her actions were driven by compassion, not crime.

Meanwhile, Perdue Farms and Petaluma Poultry firmly deny all allegations of animal abuse. Both companies accuse Rosenberg and her allies in Direct Action Everywhere (DxE) of being extremists with a radical agenda bent on disrupting lawful farming operations. They maintain their facilities comply with state and federal law. UnchainedTV reaffirms its open invitation for representatives of Perdue or Petaluma Poultry to appear on-air and share their perspective at any time.

Looking ahead, the trial moves toward a pivotal phase: jury selection begins. Judge Gnoss notes that this case has stirred unusually strong public emotions, so the court is calling a larger-than-normal jury pool. The process may take several days as attorneys work to identify jurors who can weigh the evidence fairly despite strong feelings about animals, property, and activism. The UnchainedTV panel emphasizes that who sits in that jury box could determine not only Rosenberg’s fate, but whether jurors are willing to consider the argument that rescuing animals she described as sick and suffering should never be treated as a crime.

As Day 3 unfolds, it’s clear this case is already reverberating far beyond Sonoma County. It is sparking national debate in newsrooms and living rooms about justice, compassion, and the limits of law. What happens here will decide more than the fate of four rescued chickens — it will shape how society views acts of mercy in the face of industrialized animal agriculture.