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Access to Justice

  • February 20, 2025

    Guantanamo Deportees Get Phone Access To Attys, Feds Say

    The U.S. government urged a D.C. federal judge to reject a request from the ACLU and other advocates to give unauthorized immigrants held at Guantanamo in-person access to lawyers, saying Thursday that the detainees have the ability to speak to attorneys by telephone.

  • February 19, 2025

    Orgs. Fear 'Complete Dismantling' Of Migrant Kids' Rights

    Legal service providers that help unaccompanied children navigate the immigration court system warned on Wednesday that the children's due process rights are at risk after the Trump administration turned off the federal funding tap.

  • February 19, 2025

    3rd Circ. Hints County's Probation Detainers Need Scrutiny

    Civil rights advocates told the Third Circuit that Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, is jailing defendants for probation violations too hastily, and the panel appeared open Wednesday to reviving a lawsuit against several county judges for more developments.

  • February 18, 2025

    How Ga. Hopes To Leash Injury Suits And Litigation Funders

    The opening weeks of Georgia's legislative session have seen Republican lawmakers make their most forceful push in years to overhaul the state's civil justice system, placing premises liability and third-party litigation funding squarely in their crosshairs.

  • February 12, 2025

    Advocates Sue DHS Over Access To Guantanamo Deportees

    The Trump administration has transported dozens of immigrants to Guantanamo and is now holding them "incommunicado" without access to attorneys, family members, or the outside world, a group of immigrants' rights advocates said in a lawsuit filed Wednesday in D.C. federal court.

  • February 11, 2025

    Disparities In Adult Prosecution Of NJ Youths Draw Criticism

    New Jersey's system of allowing county prosecutors to effectively choose when to move youth criminal cases into adult court with little judicial oversight has created wide disparities based on geography and race in which defendants stay in the youth justice system, according to a report released Tuesday by Human Rights Watch.

  • February 10, 2025

    9th Circ. Affirms Officers' Immunity For Getting Phone Contents

    The Ninth Circuit on Monday upheld a summary judgment win for a sheriff and county prosecutor accused of illegally obtaining the contents of a drug arrestee's phone, ruling that they unlawfully got copies of the phone's contents but that the prosecutor who requested them was entitled to qualified immunity.

  • February 07, 2025

    Landmark NC Ruling Finds Race Bias Tainted Death Row Case

    Racial bias sullied the jury selection process during the trial of a Black man in North Carolina who was ultimately sentenced to death for his crimes, a state court judge said Friday in a landmark ruling that could have a ripple effect for more than 100 ongoing capital punishment challenges across the Tar Heel State.

  • February 07, 2025

    NYU Law Professor On His AI-Powered Tenants' Rights Bot

    New York City tenants routinely face uphill battles when prodding their landlords to make repairs in their rented homes. A recently launched AI chatbot designed by an NYU law professor could help turn things around.

  • February 07, 2025

    Native American Rights Fund Builds On Its Successes

    Long a go-to litigator in Indian Country, the nonprofit Native American Rights Fund is stepping up to meet the high demand for its legal advocacy, moving to a larger headquarters and adding attorneys in recent years.

  • February 07, 2025

    For These Victims, Death Came Before Bankruptcy Resolution

    Thousands of people have died with no compensation in recent years as big institutions shield themselves in bankruptcy court from claims related to opioids, fraud, asbestos and sexual abuse, plaintiffs' lawyers say. Critics say it's an inherent part of a bankruptcy court system that helps insiders and hurts creditors.

  • February 06, 2025

    NY Court Puts A Limit On Child Welfare Agency Surveillance

    A New York appellate court ruled that child welfare agencies lack the authority to surveil a parent just because their child's other parent was charged with abuse or neglect, banning a statewide practice that lasted for decades, an attorney told Law360 on Thursday.

  • February 04, 2025

    NY Advocates Urge Pols To Enact Sentencing Reforms

    New York lawmakers on Tuesday joined former prisoners and families of incarcerated people in Albany to urge elected officials and Gov. Kathy Hochul to enact bills that would reshape state sentencing laws that critics say are both too harsh and ineffective in deterring crime.

  • February 03, 2025

    Immigrant Advocates Sue Trump Admin Over Border Closure

    A coalition of immigrant and civil rights groups accused President Donald Trump in a new lawsuit Monday of acting beyond his authority when he shut down the southern border to asylum claims.

  • January 30, 2025

    Canadian Pot Equipment CEO Says CBP Illegally Booted Him

    The Canadian CEO of a company that makes cannabis agricultural equipment has sued the U.S. Homeland Security Department and Customs and Border Protection, saying they detained him at the U.S.-Canada border and ordered his removal for allegedly abetting the spread of narcotics despite a prior U.S. Court of International Trade finding that his company was operating legally.

  • January 29, 2025

    Driver Says Okla. Cops Forced Catheter On Him As Minor

    An Oklahoma man is suing a police department, sheriff's office and Harmon County, alleging that when he was 17, police forced him to be catheterized for a drug screening against his will after he was a victim of a road rage incident.

  • January 28, 2025

    Judge Temporarily Halts Trump's Funding Freeze

    A D.C. federal judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked a Trump administration freeze on federal spending that was set to go into effect at 5 p.m., as a group of nearly two dozen attorneys general filed a separate case challenging what they described as an illegal and potentially catastrophic聽move.

  • January 27, 2025

    Ga. County Looks To Dodge Wrongful Imprisonment Suit

    A Georgia county facing allegations that its police department framed a then-teenager for the murder of his friend almost 30 years ago has asked a federal judge to be let out of the suit, arguing the plaintiff's Civil Rights Act claims failed to plead that his prosecution was the result of systemic failures.

  • January 27, 2025

    High Court Won't Mull 'Cruel And Unusual' Miss. Voting Ban

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear a challenge to sections of the Mississippi Constitution that permanently bar people convicted of certain felonies from voting and which a federal court of appeals had found violated the Eighth Amendment's prohibitions against "cruel and unusual punishment."

  • January 24, 2025

    'Waverly Two' Will Walk Free After Biden Commutation

    Among the nearly 2,500 people for whom former President Joe Biden commuted sentences before he left office were Terence Richardson and Ferrone Claiborne, who were sentenced to life in prison in 2001 even though a federal jury found them not guilty of murder.

  • January 24, 2025

    Immigrant Rights Attorneys Set For Battle As Trump Returns

    In the face of the sweeping anti-immigration measures proposed by President Donald Trump, legal aid organizations across the country are responding by bolstering their resources and increasing outreach efforts to prepare for an expected surge in deportation cases. Many are training more staff, expanding their pro bono networks, and collaborating with community organizations to ensure that noncitizens, especially those in vulnerable populations, receive timely legal advice and representation.

  • January 24, 2025

    Dentons' Ben Weinberg On Making An Impact With Pro Bono

    For over 16 years, Ben Weinberg has been shaping Dentons' pro bono program, looking for ways to connect the needs of local communities with the resources of a global legal powerhouse to make an impact.

  • January 24, 2025

    Biden Leaves Mixed Legacy On Criminal Justice Issues

    When he stepped into the White House in January 2021, former President Joe Biden brought with him an ambitious criminal justice agenda that aimed to satisfy both reformers and law enforcement advocates, but he never cleared that high bar, with a record of underappreciated successes and missed opportunities.

  • January 23, 2025

    Many Attorneys Not Meeting ABA's 50-Hour Pro Bono Goal

    While most attorneys have volunteered pro bono services at some point in their career, many lawyers are not meeting the American Bar Association's goal for every lawyer to provide 50 hours of pro bono work every year, and lack of time was the biggest discouraging factor, according to a recent report.

  • January 23, 2025

    Judge Puts 'Unconstitutional' Trump Citizenship Order On Ice

    A Washington federal judge paused nationwide enforcement of President Donald Trump's executive order limiting birthright citizenship on Thursday, calling the order "blatantly unconstitutional" and expressing disdain for attorneys backing the presidential decision while hearing four states' emergency bid for a temporary restraining order.

Expert Analysis

  • Justices' Habeas Ruling Further Saps Writ Of Its Strength

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    After the U.S. Supreme Court dealt its latest blow to the Great Writ in Jones v. Hendrix, holding that a provision called the 鈥渟aving clause鈥 cannot be used to file successive habeas petitions after a retroactive change in statutory law, Congress may need to amend the underlying law to ensure a more open habeas process, says Daniel Medwed at Northeastern University.

  • Service Members Should Have Right To Unanimous Verdicts

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    As several recent cases exemplify, service members can be convicted of crimes by nonunanimous juries in military courts and cannot appeal such verdicts, despite Supreme Court precedent from recent years 鈥 a glaring constitutional error that Congress should rectify expeditiously, says Kevin Carroll at Hughes Hubbard.

  • Jail-Based Polling Places Are Key To Expanding Ballot Access

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    As the 2024 elections begin to take shape, jurisdictions should consider jail-based polling locations to ease voting obstacles faced by incarcerated people, say former advocacy director Naila Awan and communications strategist Wanda Bertram at Prison Policy Initiative.

  • A New HOPE For Expunging State-Level Cannabis Convictions

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    As states across the U.S. legalize cannabis, individuals with related convictions face hurdles to expunging their records due to outdated record-keeping systems 鈥 but the recently introduced HOPE Act would remedy this by providing grant funding to state and local governments, says Rep. Dave Joyce, R-Ohio.

  • Immigration Board Must Mend Choice Of Law Post-Garcia

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    The Board of Immigration Appeals must revisit the choice of law standard recently established in Matter of Garcia, which fails to establish predictability, upsets the settled expectations of parties' remanded cases and unfairly tips the scale in the government's favor, says Monica Mananzan at the Capital Area Immigrants' Rights Coalition.

  • Inside Immigration Court: The Pros, Cons Of Remote Hearings

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    Technology introduced during the pandemic has improved the quality and efficiency of virtual immigration court hearings, but concerns still linger over the court system's ability to provide full and complete simultaneous interpretation in these hearings, as well as its effect on due process, says Immigration Judge Mimi Tsankov.

  • How Attorneys Can Help Combat Anti-Asian Hate

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    Amid an exponential increase in violence against Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, unique obstacles stand in the way of accountability and justice 鈥 but lawyers can effect powerful change by raising awareness, offering legal representation, advocating for victims鈥 rights and more, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.

  • Well-Equipped Public Defenders Can Help Reduce Recidivism

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    Public defenders are uniquely positioned to connect clients with essential services that are proven to address the root drivers of crime, thus reducing recidivism and promoting public safety 鈥 but they need adequate resources to bring about this change, says Emily Galvin-Almanza at Partners for Justice.

  • Inside Immigration Court: Making The Case For Bond Release

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    Immigration Judge Samuel Cole offers a guide to help attorneys practicing in immigration court 鈥 against a backdrop of high stakes and fast-moving dockets 鈥 better prepare for bond hearings, so proceedings run more smoothly and with less delay.

  • LA County Should Loosen Strict Reentry Program Criteria

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    Los Angeles County鈥檚 recent fair chance ordinance proposal is an important step toward reducing recidivism, but the county should also make its reentry programs available to all formerly incarcerated individuals and focus on prerelease job training, say Sophia Lowe, Eleanor Pearson and Samuel Mistrano at USC.

  • Why Trump Sexual Abuse Verdict May Be Hard To Replicate

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    Survivors of sexual assault may be emboldened to file suit after writer E. Jean Carroll鈥檚 trial victory against former President Donald Trump, but before assigning too much significance to the verdict, it鈥檚 worth noting that the case鈥檚 unique constellation of factors may make it the exception rather than the rule, says Jessica Roth at Cardozo School of Law.

  • New Ideas For Using Litigation Finance To Close Justice Gap

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    Bob Koneck at Woodsford outlines new ways in which the growing litigation finance industry could work with foundations, law firms and schools to address the urgent access to justice crisis.

  • Meeting The Legal Aid Needs Of Human Trafficking Survivors

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    Human trafficking survivors have a wide range of unmet legal needs, but there are several ways law firms and attorneys can provide more comprehensive and trauma-informed support, say Sarah Dohoney Byrne at Moore & Van Allen and Renata Parras at Paul Hastings.

  • Broader Problems Remain After Justices' DNA Test Ruling

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    The U.S. Supreme Court鈥檚 decision this week in Reed v. Goertz straightforwardly resolves a statute of limitations question on post-conviction DNA testing, but it does not address the underlying issue that judges remain hostile to granting access to new evidence of innocence, much less relief based on that new evidence, says Brandon Garrett at Duke University.

  • It's Time For Lawyers To Stand Up For Climate Justice

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    The anniversary this week of the Deepwater Horizon disaster offers an opportunity for attorneys to embrace the practice of just transition lawyering 鈥 leveraging our skills to support communities on the front lines of climate change and environmental catastrophe as they pursue rebuilding and transformation, says Amy Laura Cahn at Taproot Earth.

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