Updates

August 29, 2017 In Updates

Tara Sutton Becomes Public Justice President

Champion of people injured by defective and harmful products to lead organization for one-year term In the eyes of Public Justice president Tara Sutton, the results of the 2016 election left Public Justice with a multitude of new challenges – along with an opportunity to…

July 25, 2017 In Updates Workers' Rights

Case Regarding U.S. Census Bureau Criminal Background Checks Wins Public Justice’s 2017 Trial Lawyer of the Year

After six years, the legal team secured a groundbreaking settlement that requires the Census Bureau to use a fair method to determine whether the criminal history of an applicant actually justifies his or her rejection from entry-level, temporary jobs.

July 18, 2017 In Updates Gender & Sexual Violence

Legal and Civil Rights Advocates Call on State Education Officials to Protect Transgender Students

In a letter to state education officials in all 50 states, a coalition of legal and civil rights advocates says federal law and the U.S. Constitution mandate that schools provide transgender students with equal educational opportunities—which includes providing access to facilities and programs consistent with…

June 29, 2017 In Updates Gender & Sexual Violence

Jessica Simpkins to Receive Illuminating Injustice Award

Jessica Simpkins, a rape survivor who sued her church for willfully ignoring a pastor’s history of sexual assault, will receive Public Justice’s 2017 Illuminating Injustice Award. In 2008, 15-year-old Jessica was twice raped by her pastor at Sunbury Grace Brethren Church in Ohio. Unbeknownst…

June 20, 2017 In Updates

Barney Frank to Receive 2017 Champion of Justice Award

Public Justice is proud to announce that former Congressman Barney Frank will receive the organization’s Champion of Justice Award for his exceptional leadership and advocacy on economic justice and civil rights.

June 20, 2017 In Updates Consumers' Rights, Food Project

Public Justice Files Suit on Behalf of American Farmers to Require Country-of-Origin Labeling on Meat Products

Public Justice, representing the Ranchers-Cattlemen Legal Action Fund (R-CALF USA) and Cattle Producers of Washington (CPoW), filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington against the U.S. Department of Agriculture, alleging that USDA regulations that allow beef and pork…

June 8, 2017 In Updates

Public Justice Announces Finalists for 2017 Trial Lawyer of the Year Award

The four finalist cases for Public Justice’s 2017 Trial Lawyer of the Year Award include landmark cases dealing with inmates’ rights, the discriminatory use of criminal history in hiring, fraudulent debt collection, and disability rights. The award celebrates and recognizes the work of an attorney…

March 28, 2017 In Updates Food Project

Leading the Fight Against “Ag Gag” Laws

In recent years, more and more state legislatures have – at the urging of lobbyists representing factory farm operations and industrial food producers – taken up “Ag Gag” laws that essentially shroud the operations of these mega-farms in secrecy and make holding them accountable difficult, if not impossible. At Public Justice, we believe everyone has the right to know where their food came from, how it was produced and the health and environmental ramifications of the factory farm industry’s operations. That’s why our Food Project has led the way in challenging these laws in court.

March 10, 2017 In Updates Class Action Preservation, Consumers' Rights

Taking on Congress to Preserve Class Actions

The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed H.R. 985, the so-called “Fairness in Class Action Litigation Act.” This sweeping legislation would make it virtually impossible to bring a class action lawsuit, effectively locking the courthouse doors to millions of Americans. The final vote in the House represented a very narrow victory (220 – 201), setting the stage for a real battle in the United States Senate.

January 18, 2017 In Updates

Public Justice Announces Opposition to EPA Nominee Scott Pruitt

For the first time in its 35-year history, Public Justice has announced it will officially oppose a cabinet-level nomination. The organization has called on Senators to vote ‘no’ on the nomination of Scott Pruitt to lead the Envrionmental Protection Agency.