"A New York judge has ordered state lawyers to justify why two chimpanzees living at a public university on Long Island shouldn�t be granted the same rights that protect humans from illegal imprisonment."

"Responding to a petition for a writ of habeas corpus on behalf of two young adult male chimpanzees, New York Supreme Court Justice Barbara Jaffe late Monday issued a brief order demanding the State University of New York at Stony Brook to explain why the animals shouldn�t be moved to a Florida sanctuary."

The Nonhuman Rights Project filed a petition last month on behalf the chimpanzees, named Hercules and Leo, arguing that they are �autonomous and self-determining beings� who should be �protected by the common law of habeas corpus,� a right granted only to �legal persons.� The chimpanzees are being used for locomotion research, according to the group.

 (Note: In New York, a "Supreme Court Justice" is a trial level judge.)