The Justice Report
The Justice Report is a journal dedicated to the advancement of civil rights by providing context and understanding for issues most prominently affecting our justice system today. This curated collection is an online database focused on poverty, historical civil rights benchmarks, staff and contributor insights, and the inner workings of our government leaders.
This month, Equal Justice Under Law co-signed a letter with twenty-five other organizations and sent it to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. The letter expresses deep concern about the threats that extensive electronic monitoring pose to individuals’ civil liberties, health, and dignity.
Read MoreWe 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…
Read MoreTens of thousands of Pennsylvanians are currently under non-driving related license suspension, despite Pennsylvania’s General Assembly passing legislation last year to end this practice.
Read MoreEqual Justice Under Law has filed a class action lawsuit against Louisiana’s Attorney General and state and local court officials to help 300,000 Louisianans prevented from rebuilding their lives due to inability to pay expungement fees.
Read MoreDespite the passage of Act 95 by Pennsylvania’s General Assembly, which ended the policy of non-driving related license suspensions, tens of thousands of Pennsylvanians remain under license suspension. Act 95 lacks retroactive enforcement, leaving many individuals with past suspensions that will run until as late as 2026.
Read MoreAct 95 was passed by Pennsylvania’s General Assembly and signed into law by Governor Tom Wolf earlier this year; however, Act 95 was not enforced retroactively, leaving tens of thousands of Pennsylvanians on license suspension for years to come.
Read MoreEqual Justice Under Law joins the ACLU of Ohio and dozens of sister organizations in urging the Supreme Court of Ohio to adopt critical bail reform.
Read MoreEqual Justice Under Law is seeking relief in its federal lawsuit, Wright v. Family Support Division, filed in Missouri federal court in March of this year. The suit aims to end Missouri’s practice of suspending driver’s licenses of parents who are unable to pay child support.
Read MoreIn 2015, the city of Newark, Arkansas passed a discriminatory law designed to banish people from its community simply because they are poor. Specifically, Newark’s law required that any person living in a mobile home worth less than $25,000 (for a single-wide) or $35,000 (for a double-wide) be denied entrance into the city, and that any person in violation of the law be fined up to $500 per day for this “offense.”
Read MoreIndividuals arrested in San Francisco will no longer be assigned a price tag on their freedom. Federal judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers issued an injunction that will finally put an end to San Francisco’s discriminatory and arbitrary bail system.
Read MoreIndividuals arrested in San Francisco will no longer be assigned a price tag on their freedom. Last week, Equal Justice Under Law and Sheriff Vicki Hennessy filed a proposed settlement that will finally put an end to San Francisco’s discriminatory and arbitrary bail system.
Read MoreMore than 600,000 Texans will be eligible to have their drivers licenses reinstated and pending surcharges waived as the Driver Responsibility Program (DRP) repeal takes effect.
Read MoreA critical hearing was held August 24th regarding the future of the money bail system in San Francisco. The case, Buffin v. Hennessy, has been pending in federal court for the Northern District of California.
Read MoreExpungement is set up to give people with a criminal history a second chance. It’s a clean slate, a fresh start. But, it is often only available if you can afford to pay for it.
Read MoreOn Thursday, April 4, 2019, Equal Justice Under Law sent a letter to Attorney General Ken Paxton and other state officials regarding the Texas Failure to Appear/Failure to Pay Program, otherwise known as the OmniBase Services, promising civil litigation if changes are not made to the program that would make it more equitable.
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