Today, Lawyers for Good Government (L4GG) is proud to launch the Pro Bono Litigation Corps (PBLC)—a first-of-its-kind initiative mobilizing experienced attorneys to take on some of the most pressing constitutional challenges of our time.
As we commemorate the two-year anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) today, August 16, there is much to celebrate about this historic legislation. The IRA represents the largest-ever climate investment in our country’s history, creating unprecedented opportunities for clean energy savings.
However, we at L4GG are acutely aware that historically marginalized communities often lack the resources to access the IRA’s historic funding opportunities. In response, we have intensified our efforts over the past two years to ensure that the benefits of the IRA reach those who need them most. See what we’ve been up to!
Not enough people are talking about the water crisis in Jackson, MS. On Tuesday, the Mississippi governor declared a state of emergency for Jackson’s water system, the city’s largest treatment plant. Most of the city’s 150,000 residents are without running water, having to rely on bottled water for drinking, showering, brushing their teeth, and cooking.
Today's Supreme Court decision in Trump v. CASA, Inc. represents a dangerous departure from our founding principles and poses an existential threat to the rule of law itself. By restricting federal courts' ability to issue universal injunctions against unconstitutional government actions, the Court has created what Justice Jackson aptly called a "zone of lawlessness" where the Executive can violate constitutional rights with impunity.
Lawyers for Good Government (L4GG), a nationwide nonprofit organization mobilizing lawyers in support of equal justice and civil and human rights, condemns in the strongest possible terms the Trump administration's refusal to comply with the Supreme Court's order to facilitate the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia to the United States after his wrongful deportation to El Salvador.
Lawyers for Good Government (L4GG) joined more than two dozen civil rights organizations in filing amicus briefs urging the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to block the Trump administration’s executive orders threatening law firms and legal organizations for challenging the administration’s policies.
Lawyers for Good Government (L4GG) today announced a significant expansion of its Federal Fund Protection Clinic with the launch of a new 1:1 pro bono legal assistance program. This enhancement builds upon the Clinic's ongoing efforts to safeguard federal climate and environmental justice funding that has been at risk due to executive actions, administrative delays, termination notices, and compliance challenges. The Fund Protection Clinic, which has been providing legal analysis, guidance, and resources to more than 300 federal grantees since its inception in January, will now offer direct, personalized legal consultations with qualified pro bono attorneys beginning March 21, 2025.
Lawyers for Good Government (L4GG) applauds the recent decision by U.S. District Judge Adam Abelson, who on February 21 issued a preliminary injunction blocking key provisions of President Trump's executive orders seeking to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in the federal government and among federal contractors.
Lawyers for Good Government (L4GG) is pleased to announce the appointment of Ryan Hathaway as the new Director of Environment and Climate Justice. Ryan joins L4GG following an extensive career in federal service, most recently serving in the Biden administration as the Director for Environmental Justice and White House Interagency Council on Environmental Justice in the Executive Office of the President.
Washington, D.C. - Lawyers for Good Government (L4GG), a leading non-profit organization that mobilizes legal support for asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border and throughout the country, vehemently opposes the Senate supplemental funding bill that would violate the due process rights of asylum seekers, exacerbate humanitarian conditions on the border, and dangerously restrict access to the asylum system in the United States. These immigration proposals, which are part of a deal tied to foreign military funding, threaten to deny the freedom, protection, and lives of countless immigrants while expanding deportations.
These proposed legislative changes include the following harmful provisions:
A new Title 42-like expulsion authority, mandating that asylum seekers be turned away from our borders and barred from commencing an asylum claim based on border “trigger numbers,” or quotas
Dismantling of due process for asylum seekers via a new fast-tracked system for asylum processing at the border, under surveillance and with no judicial review
Heightened standards and new bars to eligibility at threshold asylum screenings, which will cause passage rates to plummet and return legitimate asylum seekers to life-threatening situations
Priscilla Orta, Supervising Director of Project Corazon at Lawyers for Good Government, states, “Removing judicial review and the ability to appeal from asylum decisions is a grave violation of due process rights for a proceeding that has the highest possible stakes - life or death. This is just one of many threats to the fundamental principles of human rights present in the Senate supplemental funding bill, which will certainly disproportionately endanger the lives of Black, Indigenous, LGBTQI+, women, and children asylum seekers. These measures are not about enhancing border security but about closing our doors to those in dire need of sanctuary."
Estuardo Cifuentes, a Guatemalan asylum seeker and Client Manager of Lawyers for Good Government’s Project Corazon, further emphasizes, “The proposed legislation is a step in the wrong direction and instead marks a disturbing escalation beyond even what we saw under the Trump Administration. We must remember these policies will impact real people fleeing persecution and danger, people in extremely vulnerable conditions who have stories, dreams, and the fundamental right to seeking safety. As a nation, we have the power and responsibility to offer more than just shelter. Any immigration reform should align with our deepest values and our long-term commitment to justice and humanity.”
Nearly 200 organizations, along with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and multiple Senators, have raised alarms about these proposals. They stand in solidarity with L4GG in urging Congress and the White House to reject these inhumane measures that compromise the very essence of the U.S. asylum system.
Priscilla Orta concludes, "We call on Majority Leader Schumer, President Biden, and Congress to stand firmly against these efforts to end asylum in the supplemental funding bill and instead uphold our moral duty to protect refugees and asylum seekers.”
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Lawyers for Good Government (L4GG) coordinates large-scale pro bono programs and issue advocacy efforts to protect human rights, defend the environment, and ensure equal justice under the law, and has a network of 125,000+ lawyers to assist in its efforts.
We’re at a critical time in the fight for human rights — between the invasion of Ukraine, the legislative attacks on bodily autonomy and the worsening climate crisis, the situation seems dire. But I am heartened by the way the Lawyers for Good Government (L4GG) community of lawyers and advocates has risen to meet the moment.
For example, we’ve kicked off our TPS Pro Bono Project for Ukraine, we’re teaching municipalities how to access funding for green infrastructure, shedding light on corporal punishment in public schools and much more.
Take a look at our newsletter below to learn more, and if you want to help us continue this vital work, consider making a donation.
