PSJD News Digest – May 17, 2024
Sam Halpert, NALP Director of Public Service Initiatives
Hello, interested public! I’m back in DC after a very interesting week in Detroit. Major stories this week include a lot of issues of US federal policy. Whistleblower accounts from within the company servicing public service student loans about their treatment of borrowers and from within the State Department and USAID about US policy on Gaza. The CFPB’s funding structure survived a challenge at the Supreme Court, and Government Executive suggested that the Biden Administration’s immigration policy may require a significant increase in staffing. As always, these stories and more are in the links below.
Take care,
Sam
Editor’s Choice(s)
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University of Georgia pulls out of ‘Cop City’ lawsuit requesting public records; Dean of law school orders first amendment clinic to curtail core work, including on Atlanta Police Foundation case (The Guardian; 17 May 2024)
Non-Profit & Government Management & Hiring
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Joe Biden has done more than arm Israel. Leaked documents reveal his own officials see him as complicit in Gaza’s devastating famine (The Independent; 14 May 2024)
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‘We are more complicit:’ Biden’s Israel policies spur feds to protest at the White House (Government Executive; 15 May 2024)
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Multnomah County [Oregon] prosecutors’ union concerned about comments district attorney made about challenger (OPB; 16 May 2024)
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US federal judges boycott Columbia University graduates over handling of campus protests (Canadian Lawyer; 16 May 2024)
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Supreme Court Rejects Challenge to Consumer Watchdog's Funding (New York Times; 16 May 2024)
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The larger the nonprofit, the more likely it is run by a white man, says new Candid diversity report (AP; 16 May 2024)
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Over Two Dozen Labor Unions, Civil Rights Groups, and Public Interest Advocates Endorse New York’s BOT Act (Center for Democracy & Technology; 16 May 2024)
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Seattle Public Defender's $7M Employment Win Wiped Out (Law360; 14 May 2024)
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Gaza and Charities at War: Would Nonprofit Trustees Violate Fiduciary Duties by Israeli Divestment? (Nonprofit Law Prof Blog; 15 May 2024)
Student Loans & Student Debt
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Student loan forgiveness: Deadline extended to consolidate certain loans (Cox Media Group; 16 May 2024)
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A top student loan company allegedly told staff to keep borrowers on hold (The Street; 14 May 2024)
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Biden's student-loan forgiveness plan comment period is ending. Here's what people are saying. (Market Watch; 17 May 2024)
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Student Loan Interest Rates To Soar Above 6.5%—The Highest Level In More Than 15 Years (Forbes; 16 May 2024)
Access to Justice – Civil & Economic
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Is Biden’s new immigration rule doomed without more staffing? (Government Executive; 13 May 2024)
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Nova Scotia Legal Aid receives funding to attract more private lawyers (CBC; 16 May 2024)
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[New York City] Public defenders call on judge to dismiss landlord suit brought against court system (Queens Eagle; 15 May 2024)
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Lawmakers look to lock legal services fund after [NY] gov’s sweep (Queens Eagle; 15 May 2024)
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Immigrant Services Face Cuts Under Latest Proposed California Budget (LAist; 15 May 2024)
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Nova Scotia Legal Aid increasing wages for certificate lawyers (Saltwire; 16 May 2024)
Access to Justice – Criminal
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[Indiana] Program restarts state reimbursement for public defenders' misdemeanor cases (The Journal Gazette; 17 May 2024)
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Illinois legislators try again on statewide public defender legislation (Chicago Tribune; 14 May 2024)
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New report: Allegheny County [PA] indigent defense system needs ‘fundamental overhaul’ (90.5 WESA; 16 May 2024)
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Michigan's public defender system was among the worst in the country. Now it's a national model (Lansing State Journal; 15 May 2024)
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Do Utah youth get a good defense in court? The Gault Center report emphasized high-level reform through changing pay structures and analyzing the system regularly to ensure fairness (Deseret News; 15 May 2024)
Prosecutorial and Public Defense Office Hiring Crises
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Report reveals Pennsylvania lags in public defender staffing (Fox43 News; 15 May 2024)
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Santa Clara County DA, public defender forewarn trouble from proposed budget cuts (The Mercury News; 16 May 2024)
Criminal Legal Reform & Counter-Reform
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Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price goes on offensive, vows to defeat recall effort (The Mercury News; 16 May 2024)