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Access to Justice
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December 16, 2022
Senate Confirms DC Court Judges Amid 'Vacancy Crisis'
The U.S. Senate has confirmed seven D.C. judicial nominees for seats on the district's trial and appellate courts that have been vacant for an average of almost two years, acting on long-pending nominations amid a recent surge of pressure applied by court watchdogs and lawmakers alike.
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December 14, 2022
Georgia Agencies Sued For Failure To Cover Trans Benefits
Four transgender government employees across three departments hit Georgia agencies and several top government officials with an employment discrimination suit in federal court Wednesday, challenging the State Health Benefit Plan's continued denial of gender-affirming care.
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December 14, 2022
Settlement Paves Way To Close NY Rent Aid Application Portal
New York has reached a settlement agreement to stop accepting federal rental assistance applications as soon as mid-January, nearly a year after a state court forced one of the country's largest pandemic aid programs back open in the hopes of additional funding.
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December 08, 2022
Civil Legal Aid Caseload Growth 'Remarkable' Amid Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic had civil legal aid organizations scrambling to help low-income Americans in 2021, especially in the area of housing.
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December 07, 2022
Scandal-Plagued DC Housing Agency Faces Reform Demands
The independent government agency that manages thousands of affordable public housing units and the housing voucher program in the nation's capital faces a growing chorus of demands for reform amid accusations of far-reaching mismanagement and corruption and deeply rooted funding problems.
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December 02, 2022
In Justice Reforms, Court Communities Are Often Overlooked
A senior policy advisor to the National Institute of Justice's Office of Research, Evaluation, and Technology stressed considering the roles of local courtroom communities when legislatures design criminal justice reforms in a study published this week that explores local practices' influence on criminal case processing and sentencing outcomes.
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December 02, 2022
Screening, Supervision Key To Avoiding Pro Bono Errors
Accusations of malpractice in pro bono cases, while rare, can be avoided by carefully vetting such cases, researching unfamiliar practice areas and being sure to supervise newer attorneys, experts say.
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December 02, 2022
Morgan Lewis Helps Free Man Convicted By DA Misconduct
A team of Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP attorneys recently helped a pro bono client who was wrongfully convicted of a New Orleans murder during an era of prosecutorial misconduct walk out of prison a free man after 35 years at Angola State Penitentiary.
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December 02, 2022
7th Circ. To Decide Which Groups Can Pay Bail In Indiana
The Bail Project, an organization that bails criminal defendants out of jail for free in 20 states in service of a mission to abolish cash bail, is heading to the Seventh Circuit next week to challenge an Indiana law that it says unfairly restricts its ability to release indigent defendants back to their communities.
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December 01, 2022
Del. Stands Out Among States In Curbing 'Unjust' Fines, Fees
The national outlook for doing away with "unjust" judicial fines and fees remains grim, but Delaware showed significant strides by making key reforms during the past year, an access to justice watchdog said in a report released Thursday.
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November 29, 2022
Georgetown Law Program Will Embed Technologists In Courts
Georgetown University Law Center on Tuesday announced the launch of a new fellowship that will embed technologists and software designers in state, local and tribal courts in order to develop tech-based solutions to improve access to the judicial system.
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November 18, 2022
Hotels' Push To Counter Sex Trafficking Wins Mixed Reviews
Amid a growing wave of criminal and civil suits aimed at hotels for alleged facilitation of sex trafficking, the hospitality industry has embraced a more proactive approach to identifying and responding to the crime. Here, Law360 looks at the focus of such efforts as well as their strengths and weaknesses.
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November 18, 2022
Justice Center Leader's Journey From Prison To Changemaker
Derrick Hamilton, deputy director of Cardozo School of Law's Perlmutter Center for Legal Justice, studied law while in prison and won his own exoneration after serving a 21-year sentence. Today, he hopes to make big changes in the justice system to ensure others don't need to do the same.
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November 18, 2022
Ending Cash Bail In Illinois Brings Hope, Lawsuits, Confusion
Money will no longer determine whether someone in Illinois stays in jail while facing charges starting Jan. 1, a monumental shift cheered by criminal justice advocates and denounced by prosecutors who have filed dozens of lawsuits as the state prepares to be the first in the U.S. to entirely eliminate cash bail.
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November 18, 2022
Boies Schiller Helps Florida Kids Get Better Medicaid Care
A team of Boies Schiller Flexner LLP attorneys recently wrapped up a 16-year pro bono battle with the state of Florida where they fought to expand benefits for 2 million children who depend on Medicaid for their health and dental care.
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November 18, 2022
How This Ex-3rd Circ. Judge Is Helping Former Prisoners
Former federal Judge Thomas I. Vanaskie was instrumental in building two reentry programs for formerly incarcerated people, and he's still helping their participants rejoin society even after leaving the bench.
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November 17, 2022
Key Issues Emerge Around Hotels' Liability For Sex-Trafficking
For hotel owners and operators, accusations of involvement in the sex trade run the gamut — from being an unwitting accomplice to turning a blind eye to active complicity. While litigation in the space is still evolving, Law360 assesses early trends and emerging legal questions.
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November 17, 2022
Texas Mulls More Non-Attorney Help For Low-Income Clients
The State Bar of Texas alerted its members Thursday that a state commission is looking into providing more access to legal services, including using non-attorneys, for low-income parties in the Lone Star State after the Supreme Court of Texas sent a letter encouraging proposals.
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November 17, 2022
Career DOJ Atty Tapped For New Environmental Justice Office
The U.S. Department of Justice has tapped a longtime veteran to serve as the first permanent director of the newly established Office of Environmental Justice.
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November 16, 2022
Hotels Face New Risks As Women Travel For Abortions
Abortion-related travel has been rising ever since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, and hotels may get swept into criminal investigations of women who cross state lines to get abortions as laws change around the country, lawyers warn.
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November 16, 2022
Reforms Urged As Mich. Debt Collection Caseload Grows
Debt collection lawsuits are "dominating" Michigan's civil court system and the state should do more to help debtors defend themselves in court, a Michigan Supreme Court commission said Wednesday.
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November 16, 2022
Despite Reforms, Parolees Had Trouble Voting In Midterms
Even though years have passed since some states restored voting rights to parolees, flawed implementation led to confusion that prevented some from voting in the midterm election last week, activists said at a virtual event.
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November 01, 2022
Justice Jackson Warns Of Roadmap For States To Defy Court
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson said Tuesday that if the U.S. Supreme Court sides with Arizona in a capital case over whether a death row inmate was properly denied post-conviction relief, the ruling could give states a roadmap for defying the high court's criminal law decisions.
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October 31, 2022
Legal Services Orgs Partner To Streamline Pro Bono Process
Pro bono management platform Paladin and case management company LegalServer will integrate their systems as part of a partnership with Legal Aid Chicago to streamline service to indigent clients, Chicago's largest legal services organization said Monday.
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October 28, 2022
Habeas Case May Open Prison Door For Retroactive Innocents
When the Supreme Court rules on criminal law, it sometimes makes prisoners retroactively innocent of their crimes. This court term, in a case involving a Missouri man imprisoned for over 20 years for possessing a gun as a felon, the court will clarify whether federal prisoners can file writs of habeas corpus after new case law makes them legally innocent.