She took chickens that were going to die in a factory farm. Was it a rescue or a crime?

Zoe Rosenberg, a California student, is on trial over a tactic that animal rights activists consider a moral imperative. Critics say its a threat to the food supply

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n a Monday afternoon in late September, Zoe Rosenberg, a 23-year-old University of California, Berkeley, student, emerged from a courtroom in Santa Rosa, California. Flanked by her lawyers, she moved briskly through the courthouse corridors, past more than 100 prospective jurors.

Pinned to her black blazer was a tiny metallic chicken, glinting on the lapel.

It was one of the last days of jury selection for Rosenberg’s trial. She was facing two misdemeanor charges for trespassing and one for tampering with a vehicle, as well as one count of felony conspiracy. If convicted on all charges, she could spend up to four and a half years in jail.