PSJD News Digest – December 13, 2024
Sam Halpert, NALP Director of Public Service Initiatives
Hello, interested public! It’s another weighty digest this week as relevant news continues to pile up thick and fast as we barrel toward the New Year. I’ll do my best to help everyone keep up with the pace. Many stories that would have merited an “Editor’s Choice” in a slower week are collected in their respective sections; this is one worth reviewing carefully.
Take care,
Sam
Editor’s Choice(s)
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Justice Department’s storied Civil Rights Division will fight DEI under Trump (CNN; 11 Dec 2024)
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Trump pick for DOJ civil rights draws blowback from advocacy leaders (Washington Post; 10 Dec 2024)
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Corporations and Higher Ed Are Backtracking on DEI. Will Foundations Fold? (Chronicle of Philanthropy; 11 Dec 2024)
Student Loans & Student Debt
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Biden’s Last Chance? Democrats Demand Urgent Student Loan Forgiveness Amid Trump’s Bold Education Overhaul Plans (Econotimes; 6 Dec 2024)
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It’s Still Not Too Late for Biden to Deliver Debt Relief [opinion] (The Nation; 13 Dec 2024)
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Biden’s Got One Last Chance to Cancel Student Debt [opinion] (The New Republic; 10 Dec 2024)
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GOP Leader Wants To Cut Student Loan Rates To 1%, But Would It Help? (Forbes; 11 Dec 2024)
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Connecticut hires first ever student loan ombudsman (Register Citizen; 11 Dec 2024)
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CFPB takes action to ban Student Loan Pro from offering consumer financial products (Consumer Finance Monitor; 11 Dec 2024)
Non-Profit & Government Management & Hiring
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Could Biden’s recent strategy to streamline government hiring be scuttled under Trump? (Government Executive; 12 Dec 2024)
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Lawmakers call on Biden to grant feds a 4.5% raise in 2025, restoring pay parity (Government Executive; 11 Dec 2024)
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Wisconsin court strikes down controversial law in a win for labor (NPR; 7 Dec 2024)
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Ohio law schools end race-based programs after think tank probe (The College Fix; 12 Dec 2024)
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Federal telework would be capped under a new House bill (Government Executive; 10 Dec 2024)
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[Senator] Ernst’s report documenting telework ‘abuse’ obscures more than it reveals (Government Executive; 9 Dec 2024)
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Federal workforce is generally more diverse than the U.S. population, but gaps persist (Government Executive; 9 Dec 2024)
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Beyond Burnout: 6 Trends Reshaping The Nonprofit Sector (Forbes; 10 Dec 2024)
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Charities Look Inward After the Election but Are Ready to Fight (Chronicle of Philanthropy; 10 Dec 2024)
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Philly’s inconsistent contracting system left some nonprofits waiting months to be paid, report says (Philadelphia Inquirer (10 Dec 2024)
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Florida Bar poised to axe 'diversity and inclusion' policy (Reuters; 11 Dec 2024)
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Scholarship programs slapped with lawsuits for alleged discrimination against White men (Fox News; 12 Dec 2024)
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Threats to Nonprofits – and an Opportunity – on Capitol Hill in 2025 (Chronicle of Philanthropy; 10 Dec 2024)
Pro Bono
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Storefront Pro Bono: Proposal for Modest Law Firm Commitment to Provide Direct Legal Services (New York Law Journal; 6 Dec 2024)
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Starting a Pro Bono Program: A Blueprint for Law Firms (Daily Business Review; 11 Dec 2024)
Access to Justice – Civil & Economic
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Pilot project allowing nonlawyer legal providers gets OK in Washington (ABA Journal; 9 Dec 2024)
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Executive Summary: Legal Aid Interagency Roundtable 2024 Report (DOJ Office for Access to Justice; 9 Dec 2024)
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California must lawyer up to fight the federal rollback [opinion] (California Lawyer; 13 Dec 2024)
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Blue States Weigh Roadblocks to Hinder Trump Deportation Plans (Bloomberg Government; 10 Dec 2024)
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Immigrants 'Preparing for Deportation' Ahead of Trump's Inauguration Lead To Surge In Demand For Legal Services (Latin Times; 9 Dec 2024)
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Rapid Response Immigration Legal Clinic Toolkit (ABA Commission on Immigration; 10 Dec 2024)
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Sonoma County [CA]'s largest provider of immigration legal services in 'emergency preparedness' mode (Northern California Public Media; 10 Dec 2024)
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Legal Aid Is Essential to Effective Social Care Integration (Journal of the American Medical Association; 9 Dec 2024)
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New Report Builds a Framework for Civil Justice Innovation (Talk Justice; 10 Dec 2024)
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Report: Achieving Civil Justice A Framework for Collaboration (American Academy of Arts & Sciences; Dec 2024)
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GN rejects pay increase for understaffed legal aid division (Nunavut News; 10 Dec 2024)
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Jersey City Eyes $400K Grant To Aid Right To Counsel Program (TAP into Jersey City; 11 Dec 2024)
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Province set to announce financial eligibility threshold increase to Legal Aid Ontario (QP Briefing; 10 Dec 2024)
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ACLU Tells Governors, State Attorneys General, Legislators, and Mayors: Build a Firewall for Freedom to Protect Our Rights During the Second Trump Administration (ACLU PR; 11 Dec 2024)
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[ME] Report says lack of legal representation in adult guardianship cases is a problem, some disagree (Maine Public Radio; 11 Dec 2024)
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Breaking the Ice: Pressing for legal aid for those in ‘critical times’ (Minnesota Lawyer; 12 Dec 2024)
Access to Justice – Criminal
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Denver district attorney joins letter calling on Biden to commute sentences of federal death row inmates (ABC 7 Denver; 11 Dec 2024)
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Wisconsin public defender budget request includes proposals to cut down criminal charges (Wisconsin Public Radio; 9 Dec 2024)
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Expanding student debt forgiveness program aims to stop the bleeding in [NYC] public defense, district attorney’s office (New York Amsterdam News; 12 Dec 2024)
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ACLU Statement on Alameda County District Attorney Appointment (ACLU Northern California; 10 Dec 2024)
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Okanogan County [WA] considers bringing public defenders in-house (Methow Valley News; 12 Dec 2024)
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Texas Judge Dismisses GOP Bid to Remove Liberal Prosecutor (Bloomberg Law; 12 Dec 2024)