PSJD Public Interest News Digest – February 2, 2024
Sam Halpert, NALP Director of Public Service Initiatives
Hello, interested public! The Digest has been missing for awhile; news has been coming too thick and fast for me to manage. I’m sorry for letting you all down. As a solution, I’m going to move to a more terse delivery of key stories. Please feel free to let me know how this new format lands.
Hope this helps,
Sam
Editor’s Choice
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Fewer People Want to Lead Nonprofits. What’s the Answer? [A new study finds that aspiring leaders, especially those of color, aren’t being pulled into leadership through support and positive role models but are more often pushed into top positions to escape difficult work circumstances.] (Philanthropy.com; 26 Jan 2024)
Student Loans & Student Debt
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Nearly half of law school students enroll in law school carrying undergrad debt, reports AccessLex Institute (NationalJurist.com; 30 Jan 2024)
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Student Loan Borrowers Skip Payments: It's 'an Act of Civil Disobedience' (Newsweek.com; 26 Jan 2024)
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Loan repayment program announced for new attorneys in rural Ohio (Portsmouth-DailyTimes.com; 29 Jan 2024)
Non-Profit & Government Management & Hiring
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Black Louisiana Assistant District Attorney’s Bias Suit Rejected (Bloomberg Law; 30 Jan 2024)
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Feds get 7.4% pay raise under congressional Democrats' plan (GovExec.com; 30 Jan 2024)
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Glassdoor For Judges: Clerkship Transparency Effort Gains Momentum (AboveTheLaw.com; 30 Jan 2024)
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New program helps Delaware nonprofits expand their reach (WMDT.com; 29 Jan 2024)
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Public Sector Drop Undermines Unions’ Organizing Success in 2023 (BloombergLaw.com; 26 Jan 2024)
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CT chief public defender claims discrimination following dispute over hiring policy (Courant.com; 26 Jan 2024)
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Biden Orders US Contractors to Reveal Salary Ranges in Job Ads (BloombergLaw.com; 29 Jan 2024)
Access to Justice – Civil & Economic
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Donation to U of T’s Downtown Legal Services advances legal aid (U Toronto; 30 Jan 2024)
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Budget Talks Will Determine Size Of [Massachusetts’] Legal Aid Gaps (StatehouseNews.com; 30 Jan 2024)
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Provincial grant aims to provide alternatives, boost access to justice (CalgaryHerald.com; 30 Jan 2024)
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People discuss housing issues facing Metro Detroit at Right to Counsel Law meeting (CBS; 28 Jan 2024)
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Charlotte eviction crisis 'affecting the most vulnerable' | Housing advocates seeking solutions to provide representation for low-income tenants (WCNC.com; 25 Jan 2024)
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‘Greatly underestimated’: In 2024, agencies continue looking for data, solutions for eviction issues (TheIndianaLawyer.com; 31 Jan 2024)
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Dallas Covers Legal Aid for Tenants Facing Eviction (DallasExpress.com; 25 Jan 2024)
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Free Legal Service Provider Expo happening Saturday [in Beaufort SC], and you're invited (WJCL.com; 25 Jan 2024)
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Pennsylvania Courts Announce New Pilot Project Providing Free Legal Representation to Older Adults in Guardianship Cases (PennWatch.org; 25 Jan 2024)
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Reno Justice Court Opens Walk-In Center (2news.com; 25 Jan 2024)
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A lack of attorneys creates ‘legal deserts’ in rural Illinois counties (HeartlandSignal.com; 25 Jan 2024)
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New pre-law program aims to tackle shortage of lawyers in northern Manitoba (CBC.ca; 24 Jan 2024)
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New York State Bar Association Objects to Governor’s Transfer of Funds That Belong by Law to Low-Income New Yorkers (NYSBA.org; 25 Jan 2024)
Access to Justice – Criminal
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EDITORIAL: Public defenders aren’t social workers (Denver Gazette; 30 Jan 2024)
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New legislation will provide funding to public defender offices statewide [in Pennsylvania] (WJACTV.com; 25 Jan 2024)
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‘Rights are being violated’: WA public defender shortage leads to alleged gap in representation (KIRO7.com; 25 Jan 2024)
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Public defender Champion has [NC] office up and running – even without office space (AlmanceNews.com; 27 Jan 2024)
Prosecutorial and Public Defense Office Hiring Crises
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Kansas attorney general Kris Kobach has hired more lawyers but is still short on staff (Topeka Capital-Journal; 31 Jan 2024)
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Kansas public defenders got raises. But their dissatisfaction with pay almost doubled (KCBeacon.org; 30 Jan 2024)
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Prosecutors are 'quitting in droves,' and it's bad news for defendants, law prof says (ABA Journal; 26 Jan 2024)
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Public defender pay raise shakes up staffing in Minnesota county attorney offices [Many county attorneys have left for the higher pay, but some counties have also raised wages in response.] (StarTribune.com; 27 Jan 2024)
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As staffing gaps grow in local government, rural counties, including Mendocino [CA], struggle to compete (PressDemocrat.com; 27 Jan 2024)
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With Adams County [IL] Public Defender’s office already shorthanded, Nelson leaving as chief public defender on Feb. 15 (MuddyRiverNews.com; 29 Jan 2024)
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Maine’s court-appointed lawyers are ‘saturated’ with criminal, parental caseloads (PressHerald.com; 17 Jan 2024)
Criminal Justice Reform and Counter-Reform
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Chesa Boudin Ally Challenges District Attorney Brooke Jenkins (SFStandard.com; 26 Jan 2024)
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Georgia House Votes to Revive Prosecutor Oversight Panel as Democrats Warn of Targeting Fani Willis [Georgia House members have passed a bill that would revive a commission with powers to discipline and remove prosecutors] (US News.com; 29 Jan 2024)