PSJD Public Interest News Digest – June 16, 2023
Sam Halpert, NALP Director of Public Service Initiatives
Hello, interested public!
This is our shortest news week in a while, but still some big topics were covered. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Native American families in adoption proceedings. And the US Department of Education announced that student loan repayment will resume in October.
As always, these stories and more are in the links below.
Happy reading,
Brittany
Editor’s Choice
First Amendment Concerns
Student Loans & Student Debt
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In Washington, D.C., “‘Student loan interest will resume starting on September 1, 2023, and payments will be due starting in October,’ an Education Department spokesperson confirmed in a statement to POLITICO.”
Voting Rights
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In the United States, “[a]t least 11 states have enacted 13 restrictive voting laws this year, according to a new analysis from the liberal-leaning Brennan Center for Justice at New York University’s law school.”
Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity
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In New York, “Gov. Kathy Hochul's office announced that it has appointed the first openly transgender male judge in U.S. history.”
Reproductive Rights
Environmental Crisis
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In the United States, “[t]he Environmental Protection Agency published a new draft rule that the groups said would extend federal oversight to much of the coal ash disposed at both operating and retired power plants.”
Immigration & Refugee Issues
Employment Rights
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In California, “[t]he California Senate has passed a bill banning employers from inquiring about a job applicant’s past use of marijuana.”
Non-Profit & Government Management & Hiring
Access to Justice – Civil & Economic
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In British Columbia, Canada, “Indigenous Peoples will have access to better legal supports and healing opportunities with the opening of a new Indigenous Justice Centre in Chilliwack and $10 million in funding to support First Nations’ community-based justice programs.”
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In Quebec Province, Canada, “Quebec anglophones will lose jobs and access to English services, with their constitutional rights left to the whims of the provincial government under proposed new federal language legislation, a Senate committee has heard.”
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In Delaware, “lawmakers passed a bill Wednesday that would give tenants the right to representation during eviction proceedings.”
Access to Justice – Criminal
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In San Francisco, CA, “[t]he public defender's office in San Francisco has organized a series of sit-ins to protest the backlog in the court system that they say violates the constitution by excessively detaining people without a trial.”
Public Defender Office Hiring Crisis
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In Las Cruces, NM, “[t]he City of Las Cruces Council approved a $700,000 contract to a law firm Monday to supplement the services of the City Attorney's Office.”
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In Pennsylvania, “Crawford County has approved hiring two part-time assistant public defenders, but vacancies remain.”
Criminal Justice Reform and Counter-Reform
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In Hennepin County, MN, “[p]rompted by a string of auto thefts involving juveniles in the Twin Cities, prosecutors, local law enforcement and child protection are coming together with the goal of eradicating youth crime before it happens.”