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Debtors’ Prison Project

  • Children & Parents Sue to Restore Contact Visits in Solano County Jails, Asserting Their Right to Hug Their Family

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 23, 2026 Media Contacts:Public Justice | Nicole Funaro | communications@publicjustice.netBraunHagey & Borden LLP | Kory DeClark | declark@braunhagey.com | (415) 599-0210Criminal Law & Justice Center | Rio Scharf | rioscharf@berkeley.edu | (510) 239-3119Civil Rights Corps | Madhvi Venkatraman | media@civilrightscorps.org The lawsuit challenges a conspiracy between the Solano County Sheriff’s Office…

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  • Public Justice and the ACLU of Iowa Win Appeal in Black Hawk County Lawsuit

    Civil rights groups today won an appeal in a federal class action lawsuit that seeks to block the Black Hawk County Sheriff’s office from wrongly extracting money from people before releasing them from jail and from demanding payment under coercive terms. The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals concluded that plaintiffs are harmed by the jail’s…

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  • Iowa Supreme Court issues decision in low-income Iowans’ legal cost case

    Media Contacts:  Cindy Garcia, ACLU of Iowa Communications Manager, cindy.garcia@aclu-ia.org Nicole Funaro, Public Justice Media Relations Strategist, nfunaro@publicjustice.net Today the Iowa Supreme Court made a decision in the State of Iowa v. Ronald Pagliai (PAG-lee-eye). The lawsuit argued that Iowa courts may not bill low-income Iowans for the cost of their court-appointed defense attorney when…

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  • New Lawsuit Challenges Federal Government’s Unconstitutional Civil Penalty Scheme That Fines Immigrant Families Up to $1.8 Million

    November 20, 2025 Media Contacts: The Legal Aid Society, Press@legal-aid.org Nicole Funaro, Public Justice, nfunaro@publicjustice.net Complaint Asserts the Government Is Issuing Massive Fines Without Notice, Evidence, Or A Chance to Contest Them   (BOSTON, MA) — Today, Public Justice, The Legal Aid Society, the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES), the…

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  • Children Sue to Restore Contact Visits in the Adams County Jail, Asserting Their Right to Hug Their Parents

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Oct. 28, 2025 Media Contacts: Nicole Funaro, Public Justice, nfunaro@publicjustice.net Madhvi Venkatraman, Civil Rights Corps, media@civilrightscorps.org The lawsuit challenges a conspiracy between Adams County and HomeWAV to profit off of the elimination of contact visits.   ADAMS COUNTY, CO. — Children whose parents are jailed in Adams County have sued the County,…

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  • Lawsuit Challenging Riverside County’s Bail Processes Moves Forward

    Media contacts: Nicole Funaro | Public Justice | nfunaro@publicjustice.net Madhvi Venkatraman | Civil Rights Corps | media@civilrightscorps.org California Superior Court overruled the County Defendants’ demurrer to the complaint   Riverside County, CA — On Oct. 1, a judge denied two demurrers to a complaint challenging the county’s cash-based jailing of individuals between their arrest and…

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  • Glendale City Council Moves to Repeal Unconstitutional, Harmful Panhandling Bans

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 16, 2025 MEDIA CONTACTS Public Justice, nfunaro@publicjustice.net ACLU of Arizona, media@acluaz.org First Amendment Clinic, Arizona State University Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, firstamendmentclinic@asu.edu Glendale, Ariz. – On September 9, the Glendale City Council voted to repeal the ordinances (022-66, 022-67, and 023-04) that criminalized panhandling throughout the city, citing our…

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  • Lawsuit Filed to End Enforcement of Glendale’s Unconstitutional Panhandling Bans

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 30, 2025 MEDIA CONTACTS Public Justice, nfunaro@publicjustice.net ACLU of Arizona, media@acluaz.org First Amendment Clinic, Arizona State University Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, firstamendmentclinic@asu.edu Glendale, Ariz. – Today, three Glendale residents filed a lawsuit alleging that the city’s panhandling bans violate their First Amendment rights to engage in constitutionally protected speech.…

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  • Faith Leaders, Detained People, and Civil Rights Groups File Lawsuit in California Challenging Riverside County’s Bail Process

    Riverside County, Calif. — On May 26, 2025, individuals detained in Riverside County jails filed a class action lawsuit challenging Riverside County’s cash-based jailing of individuals between their arrest and first court hearing, as well as Riverside County’s unnecessary delay of that hearing. Rabbi David Lazar and Reverend Jane Quandt chose to join this lawsuit because…

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