The Michigan circuit court had summarily denied their request without a hearing, stating the alleged imprisoned chimpanzees were not “persons” eligible for habeas relief. The Michigan Court of Appeals agreed. “[A]nd as the common law authorities all make clear, animals—including wild animals, such as these chimpanzees—are treated as property.” She questioned “whether an eighteenth-century British jurist’s interpretation of the Book of Genesis is a sound foundation for Michigan common law in the twenty-first century.” The Michigan Supreme Court ruling marks the latest in the group’s ongoing battle to free animals from their cages—a battle they have yet to win.