TELL BIDEN ADMINISTRATION: Protect Ukrainians in the United States

In response to Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine, L4GG is working on two important fronts to ensure that the U.S. government protects Ukrainian nationals within the U.S. We invite you to join us today.

CALL FOR TEMPORARY PROTECTED STATUS (TPS) FOR UKRAINIANS IN THE US.

We’ve written a letter to President Biden, Secretary of Homeland Security Mayorkas, and Secretary of State Blinken urging them to designate the 30,000 Ukrainian nationals within the United States as eligible for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) or Deferred Enforced Departure (DED), as well as Special Student Relief (SSR).  TPS provides protection from deportation and permission to work for eligible nationals of countries that have been designated temporarily too dangerous for return.

Join us today by calling directly on the Biden Administration to make this designation.

CLICK TO TWEET:

The serious and ongoing armed conflict in Ukraine is a humanitarian crisis. @POTUS @SecMayorkas must immediately designate TPS or DED and SSR for Ukraine. Read letter from @lawyers4goodgov calling for TPS: https://L4GG.org/TPS4UkraineLetter

A country reeling from military aggression is not appropriate for safe return! We urge @SecMayorkas to designate Ukraine for #TPS and protect 30,000 people from deportation. Read letter from @lawyers4goodgov: https://L4GG.org/TPS4UkraineLetter

COPY AND PASTE TO FACEBOOK:

A country reeling from military aggression is not appropriate for safe return! We urge President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas to designate Ukraine for #TPS and protect 30,000 people from deportation.

Read L4GG’s Letter Here: https://L4GG.org/TPS4UkraineLetter.

DEVELOPING RAPID RESPONSE PRO BONO PROJECT TO ASSIST UKRANIAN NATIONALS

Just as we’ve done in similar moments of crisis, we’re currently working in coalition with partner organizations to better ascertain the needs of Ukrainian nationals and determine how L4GG might be able to mobilize the legal profession to help at this moment. If TPS/DED status is granted to Ukraine, we intend to move very quickly to implement a new pro bono project to provide legal assistance. We have already begun building the infrastructure for this potential project and will keep you apprised as things develop.

Urgency to Continue Transitioning to Renewable Energy

The war in Europe also highlights the urgency for the US to transition to renewable energy sources and away from reliance on fossil fuels and petrostates like Russia. L4GG remains committed to helping localities transition to renewable energy, and you can learn more about our work doing so with our Climate Change program here. 

L4GG Celebrates Five Years With Event Series

In November of 2016, Traci Feit Love made a post on Facebook, as a lawyer, a parent, and a person uncertain about the future, and wanting to make change. When she made that post, she had no idea what that spark would ignite, and how many lawyers would respond. 

Now, five years later, Lawyers for Good Government (L4GG) has grown into an organization with thousands of supporters like you, all across the country, who are working towards real change. We are lawyers, law students, and activists who believe in using our skills and expertise to build a better world, from the halls of legislation to making an impact on-the-ground.

L4GG would like to invite you to join us for a series of events to celebrate L4GG’s impact over the last five years, and share with you our vision for the future of L4GG. 

Check out the schedule of events here and click Follow Calender to register. You can attend as many events as you’d like — whatever works for your schedule. 

Can’t make an event? Register and we’ll send you the recording, that way you don’t miss out. 

From the bottom of my heart, L4GG thanks you for your continued support throughout the years. We hope you’ll join us to celebrate the future, and for whatever the next 5 years will bring. 

New Report: Voters of Color Suffer Without Paid Leave

Today, Lawyers for Good Government (L4GG) released its new report indicating that there are still many legal barriers that prevent people from exercising their civic duty, and that those barriers primarily affect Black and Brown voters.  

The report, titled “No Time To Vote: Achieving Racial Equity in Paid Time Off on Election Day”, says that during the 2016, 2018, and 2020 elections, Black and Brown voters waited longer to vote than white voters. In 2016, voters in predominantly Black communities waited 29% longer than voters in predominantly white communities. 

To combat the discriminatory impacts on voters of color, the report offers the recommendation that states require that employees have time to vote without penalty or loss of wages. The report found that while thirty states require employers to allow their employees time off to vote on Election Day, the vast majority of the states that require leave for voting cap the time requirement at one, two, or three hours. These caps are problematic because voters must often stand in line for far longer, forcing them to choose between their income and exercising their right to vote. Additionally, six states require employers to allow leave, but require that the leave is unpaid.

“Making voting accessible and equitable is a racial justice issue. Significant numbers of people continue to vote in person on Election Day, and while our nation has progressed beyond the overt racism of poll taxes and literacy tests, a persistent barrier has been long lines to vote and the so-called ‘time tax,’ which continues to disenfranchise people of color. Our report hopes to shed light on this disparity and suggest viable solutions to make voting fairer for all Americans.”

— Adam Fernandez, L4GG’s Vice President of Policy and Strategic Engagement

“In order to uphold the tenets of our democracy, it needs to work for everyone. To do that, we recommend policy changes that guarantee that all workers will have the necessary amount of time to leave work to vote without penalty or loss of pay. Our suggestions also provide an explicit private right of action to hold employers accountable if they violate the policy. In this way, we hope to see a new day for racial equity in voting, and the strengthening of our democracy.”

— Joe Spielberger, L4GG's Legislative Counsel on Policy and Strategic Engagement

L4GG - Response to Eviction Crisis

On August 30, 2021, Attorney General Merrick Garland issued a call to action for the legal community, urging that we each step up to help address the looming housing and evictions crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Lawyers for Good Government community of attorneys, law firms, in-house legal departments, and non-profit partners is committed to supporting this effort.

Letter from Attorney General Merrick Garland:

Over three million households are behind on rental payments and could be evicted over the next few months. Renters in the US are disproportionately people of color, and the coming eviction crisis is one that will disproportionately harm underrepresented communities. While the federal government has supplied Emergency Rental Assistance to help keep renters in their homes, only 11 percent of that rental assistance has been used. 

If you are an attorney or law student who would like to learn more about opportunities to help keep families in their homes, please fill out this very brief form to sign up for SMS and email alerts from L4GG:

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“The legal profession is well positioned to provide support for tenants, landlords, and courts during this crisis. Promoting access to justice to ensure that our justice system delivers outcomes that are fair and accessible to all, irrespective of wealth or status, is one of the highest ideals of the legal profession. ”

— Attorney General Merrick Garland

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Take a Stand Against Anti-Asian Violence and Systemic Racism

We at Lawyers for Good Government stand united with the Asian American community in the fight against systemic racism and gender-based violence. We grieve with the families of the eight people, including six Asian women, who were killed at spas in North Georgia, and we call on the L4GG community to take a stand in support of the Asian American community. We must center the needs of those most directly impacted while denouncing misogyny, white supremacy, and systemic racism in all its forms.

Action 1: Add Your Name to this Letter from Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Stand in solidarity to denounce the misogyny, white supremacy, and systemic racism that motivate violence against Asian American communities and other communities of color.

Note: We’ve signed on to this letter as an organization and we encourage you to add your name to the individual sign-on.

Additionally, the deadly shooting in Georgia has solidified for us why we need experienced civil rights leaders like Vanita Gupta and Kristen Clarke at the Department of Justice as soon as possible. Last week’s confirmation hearing for Vanita Gupta was contentious, andjust this morning, Senator Cornyn (R-TX) used language calling Gupta potentially “the most dangerous nominee.”

The Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to move on Gupta’s nomination next week. Kristen Clarke’s hearing has not yet been scheduled.We must keep up the pressure so that the Senate knows we are behind these nominees.

ACTION 2: Make sure you, your family, and your friends have signed our letter of support for Gupta and Clarke here. We’ll be sending it to the Senate once again before Clarke’s hearing.

ACTION 3: Make sure you're set to receive SMS alerts about this confirmation fight and other actions by texting 404-382-9644.

Thank you all for your work and support so far.

With warm regards,

Traci

Traci Feit Love
President & Executive Director
Lawyers for Good Government