Kamiwan Oliver is a homemaker and mom of three—ages 5, 10, and 11—who is pursuing her business degree in a part-time online program. She and her husband, Paul, are lifelong Mainers of modest means. Kamiwan and Paul have not experienced a time in their life together where they haven’t relied on some form of government assistance to supplement their income.
The Olivers began keeping chickens in October 2023, when family friends left Maine and gave them the birds. COVID grocery shortages were severe in Maine, so the Olivers were eager to obtain another food source.
In June 2024, Calais passed an ordinance restricting backyard chickens. Try as they might, there is nothing the Olivers can do to comply with the ordinance.
But there is hope for the Olivers in Maine’s state constitution. Maine is the first state in the country to recognize a “right to food.” That is why Kamiwan and her family have joined forces with the Institute for Justice. They have filed a lawsuit asking the court to find that the city’s restrictions on their ability to humanely raise chickens violate the Maine Constitution.
Related Case
Economic Liberty | Food Freedom | Private Property | Zoning Justice Project
Maine Backyard Chickens
Kamiwan Oliver and her family raise chickens for their eggs and meat to lessen the burden of grocery bills on their tight family budget. The Olivers’ tidy coop sits in their backyard, and each day…