Thanks to our supporters, Equal Justice Under Law celebrated its 10-year anniversary on March 24, 2024! This work would not be possible without the dedication of donors who agree that wealth-based discrimination undermines the foundation of our justice system.
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A federal class action challenging pre-trial fees in Anderson County, Texas secured a critical victory this week when the court granted class certification to the plaintiffs. In Anderson County, many pre-trial arrestees — who have not been found guilty of any crime — are required to…
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A federal lawsuit challenging Ravalli County’s “Jail Diversion Program” is advancing forward after a judge denied the county’s motion to dismiss and granted class certification to the plaintiffs. In Ravalli County, pre-trial arrestees — who have not been found guilty of any crime — are required to pay pre-trial fees adding up to hundreds of dollars per month, no matter their income level.
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Last week’s decision by the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade (and thereby undoing the constitutional right to an abortion) will have devastating and long-lasting consequences, particularly for our most vulnerable populations. As a civil rights organization, Equal Justice Under Law’s mission is to fight wealth discrimination in the “justice” system, and we foresee this landmark decision by the highest court as a massive blow to the people for whom we fight for justice.
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A critical lawsuit filed today aims to relieve thousands of individuals being extorted money through pre-trial fees before ever being found guilty of a crime. In Anderson County, pre-trial arrestees — who have not been found guilty of any crime — are required to pay bond supervision and urinalysis fees without consideration of their ability to pay. If they fall behind on payments, they can end up back in jail.
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Last week, Plaintiffs filed for class certification in Evenson-Childs v. Ravalli County — a federal lawsuit challenging Ravalli County’s “Jail Diversion Program,” which extorts money from hundreds of individuals through pre-trial fees. In Ravalli County, pretrial arrestees — who have not been found guilty of any crime — are required to pay pre-trial fees adding up to hundreds of dollars per month, no matter their income level.
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On March 30, 2022, a court ruled that a lawsuit in Tennessee fighting for the voting rights of individuals with felony convictions can move forward. This lawsuit could restore the right to vote for more than 451,000 Tennesseans with felony records, approximately 9% of the state’s total voting age population.
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On March 24, 2022, Equal Justice Under Law celebrates its eight-year anniversary of challenging wealth-based discrimination in the criminal justice system! Since our organization’s founding in 2014, we’ve filed 41 lawsuits in 17 states. We’ve brought about positive change to over three million people affected by our case victories or repeals in discriminatory laws as a result of our lawsuits.
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A historic victory ending cash bail in San Francisco was finalized this month when the Ninth Circuit federal Court of Appeals confirmed our victory in the trial court and ordered fees paid by the state. The state had appealed the ruling below, and after more than two years since we helped convince a federal district court to declare San Francisco’s money bail schedule unconstitutional, the appeals court affirmed our victory in a 29-page opinion this month.
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Arkansas is the only state that criminalizes failure to pay rent. A lawsuit filed today aims to end this draconian law (known as the failure to vacate statute, or Ark. Code §18-16-101), claiming the scales of justice are tipped too far in favor of landlords looking for a cheap workaround from tenant protections, all at the expense of tenants struggling to afford rent.
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A critical lawsuit was filed on behalf of hundreds of individuals being extorted money through pre-trial fees before ever being found guilty of a crime. In Ravalli County, pre-trial arrestees — who have not been found guilty of any crime — are required to pay pre-trial fees for things like supervision and electronic monitoring, often adding up to hundreds of dollars per month, without consideration of their ability to pay. If they fall behind on payments, they are threatened with jail.
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Equal Justice Under Law is celebrating our seventh anniversary on March 24, 2021! Our longevity and success in the fight against wealth-based inequality in the justice system would not be possible without our generous supporters.
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A preliminary injunction was filed today to expedite the review of a lawsuit that aims to relieve hundreds of people currently detained unjustly pending immigration proceedings.
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The world is in the midst of a pandemic and every aspect of our society is being affected. Equal Justice Under Law is no exception. This crisis is taking its toll on the clients we represent in our cases, and with widespread court closures, many lawsuits are at a temporary halt.
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We have reached a settlement in an important case in Michigan. In 2018, Equal Justice Under Law sued the state for suspending driver’s licenses of individuals unable to pay their court debt. Tens of thousands of individuals in Michigan had their driver’s license suspended due to unpaid court debt…
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