PSJD News Digest – March 15, 2024
Sam Halpert, NALP Director of Public Service Initiatives
Hello, interested public! The biggest story this week is that Bloomberg Law found that 1 in 4 law students surveyed said they expect to work as a practicing attorney in public service. That should keep us all busy for the foreseeable future! In other news, a major deadline for income-driving repayment plans is looming and the Washington State Bar Association set new, lower caseload limits for public defenders in an attempt to address the state’s ongoing crisis providing indigent defense (as previously covered on the Digest). As always, these stories and more are in the links below.
Take care,
Sam
Editor’s Choice
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24% of law students expect to work in public service, survey says (ABA Journal; 13 Mar 2024)
Student Debt and Student Loans
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Major Student Loan Forgiveness Opportunity ‘Ends Soon,’ Warns Agency (Forbes; 13 Mar 2024)
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NY DAs, Public Defenders Urge Student Loan Aid Expansion (Law 360; 12 Mar 2024)
Non-Profit & Government Management & Hiring
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Nonprofit Boards Remain Predominantly White. Do Funders Care? (Inside Philanthropy; 13 Mar 2024)
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30 Civil and Human Rights Organizations Urge Congress to Oppose Anti-DEIA Funding Cuts (NAACP LDF; 11 Mar 2024)
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U.S. Courts of Appeals Block Two Legal Efforts to Curb DEI Initiatives (JDSupra; 14 Mar 2024)
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Judge rules against Texas AG in battle with nonprofit serving migrants (CNN; 12 Mar 2024)
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Employee groups air their disappointment with Biden’s 2% raise proposal (Government Executive; 13 Mar 2024)
Access to Justice – Civil & Economic
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[Massachusetts] District Court standing order seeks to provide pro bono representation in debt collection cases (Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly; 13 Mar 2024)
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[New York] Immigration Advocates Say Hike in Legal Services Budget Is Needed to Fix 'Completely Broken' System (New York Law Journal; 13 Mar 2024)
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[New York] Gov. Hochul faces backlash over attempt to divert $120m from legal aid fund (Brooklyn Daily Eagle; 14 Mar 2024)
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[Maryland:] Supporting Civil Legal Aid is a Good Investment [Editorial] (The Daily Record; 15 Mar 2024)
Access to Justice – Criminal
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Defending the System: Public Defenders on Tech in the Legal System (Industry Insider; 13 Mar 2024)
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Lawsuit claims San Mateo County’s unusual public defender program is ‘defective and unlawful’ (San Francisco Chronicle; 13 Mar 2024)
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Funding for Indigenous-led projects address flaws in [Canadian federal] justice system (Two Row Times; 14 Mar 2024)
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Access to Indigenous led justice services important way to achieve systemic change: lawyer (APTN National News; 14 Mar 2024)
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Johnston County [NC] to get its first public defender this summer (News from the States; 14 Mar 2024)
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California's REP Act: Legal Aid for Convicted Immigrants Sparks Debate (BBN Breaking; 11 Mar 2024)
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Florida’s indigency fees pose financial challenges to the legally poor (WLRN; 12 Mar 2024)
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Approved ordinance defines ‘needy person’ in relation to public defender eligibility for Cheyenne [WY] Municipal Court (Cap City News; 12 Mar 2024)
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ACLU’s updated lawsuit challenges legality of holding unrepresented, jailed Mainers (Portland Press Herald; 8 Mar 2024)
Prosecutorial and Public Defense Office Hiring Crises
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Judge orders state to produce data on indigent defendants in Wisconsin as lawyers seek class-action lawsuit (Wasau Daily Herald; 15 Mar 2024)
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Public defenders underpaid, overworked, North Dakota report says (The Dickinson Press; 15 Mar 2024)
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[Michigan] Prosecutors say low salaries, staff shortages, contribute to delays, backlogs (Midland Daily News; 13 Mar 2024)
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Washington State Bar Association OKs far lower caseloads for public defenders (Washington Post; 13 Mar 2024)
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Spokane [WA] prosecuting attorney's union to receive 10% pay bump after contract negotiations (The Spokesman-Review; 13 Mar 2024)
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[Rhode Island] Public defender seeks $600K to narrow salary divide (The Providence Journal; 12 Mar 2024)
Criminal Justice Reform & Counter-Reform
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[Georgia] Gov. signs law creating prosecutor oversight commission that could threaten Fani Willis’ job (WSB-TV; 13 Mar 2024)
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Hennepin County [MN] Attorney calls out Minneapolis PD for lack of collaboration (Fox9 KMSP; 13 Mar 2024)
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Advocates ask [Gov.] Moore to veto changes to Maryland juvenile justice system (The Daily Record; 14 Mar 2024)