June 2019 Newsletter

BREAKING: U.S. Supreme Court Rules Against The Trump Administration's Decision To Add Citizenship Question Into The 2020 Census -- For Now

A Victory For Our Communities’ Access To Food, Shelter, Healthcare & Political Representation

The United States Supreme Court ruled against the Trump administration’s reckless decision to add the citizenship question into the #2020Census -- at least for now. This is significant for our communities. The Census can determine political representation as well as access to federal funding for food, housing, and healthcare. (Read the full opinion here.)

We applaud New York Attorney General Letitia James (read official statement here) for her leadership. We also want to recognize our partners in Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Chicago, IL, Columbus, OH, New York City, NY, Philadelphia, PA, and San Francisco, CA, and Seattle WA--who were part of the coalition of state and local governments fighting to ensure that all of our communities are counted. 

15.png
16.png

GROWING THE PUBLIC RIGHTS PROJECT FAMILY

Summer 2019 Intern Orientation.jpeg

Meet Our Legal Interns

  • Sung Choi, Berkeley Law '20

  • Tayryn Edwards, Stanford Law '21

  • Zora Franicevic, Cornell Law '21

  • Elana Orbuch, Georgetown Law '21

Meet Our Undergraduate Interns

  • Franklin Arevalo, San Francisco State University '21

  • Leya Elias, Stanford University '21

  • Kate Kushner, Yale University '21

  • Ellena Parry, Barnard College '21


50 YEARS AFTER STONEWALL & THE FIGHT FOR LGBTQ EQUALITY

What happened at the Stonewall Inn 50 years ago was not just a rebellion: it was a movement. 

As we celebrate the contributions of the LGBTQ community to our nation, #PrideMonth also serves as a reminder that despite the progress we’ve made, the fight for a more just & equal society is far from over as the Trump administration continues to undermine LGBTQ protections.

We must continue to confront the threats facing LGBTQ: from access to equitable housing and healthcare to a safe and thriving workplace, from access to elderly care to a justice system that works for all. 

Equality For All.png

We applaud District of Columbia Attorney General Karl Racine, whose office recently launched a Civil Rights Section, for his commitment to combating housing discrimination, especially towards LGBTQ tenants & homeowners. (Read full statement here.)

We’re proud that AG Racine’s office is among the 23 offices across the country participating in our Affirmative Leaders Fellowship.


JUNETEENTH, VOTING RIGHTS & THE PATH FORWARD

12.png

As AG Tong, one of our Affirmative Leaders partners, notes above, this month marks 154 years since news of the abolition of slavery reached remaining slaves in the state of Texas and 55 years since the U.S. Senate passed the Civil Rights Act. 

We’ve come a long way since. Today, however, our communities still face daunting challenges with constant attacks on voting rights. Six years ago this week, the Supreme Court voted to gut the Voting Rights Act in Shelby v. Holder (2013), eliminating key provisions of the law that would otherwise require changes in voting laws across states & jurisdictions to undergo federal clearance.

Since Shelby (2013), we've seen the proliferation of discriminatory tactics & laws across 23 states--voter IDs, reduction of early voting days & polling sites, voter roll purging--all of which are intended to disenfranchise low-income, non-white voters. 

Our democracy is stronger when everyone--regardless of their race or ethnicity, socioeconomic status or zip code--is able to participate. As the Trump administration continues to undermine voting rights, we must remain vigilant in making sure that voter suppression has no place in America. 


IN CASE YOU MISSED IT...

Boulder to join amicus brief in support of LGBTQ employment discrimination protections via The Daily Camera 
Boulder City Council on Tuesday gave the city attorney the unanimous go-ahead to join an amicus brief that local governments are filing in support of employment discrimination protections for LGBTQ people...Public Rights Project is drafting the amicus brief, and Boulder has been asked to join, city attorney Tom Carr told council.

Erica Blachman Hitchings, Former Justice Department Attorney, Joins the Whistleblower Law Collaborative
The Whistleblower Law Collaborative LLC is pleased to announce that Erica Blachman Hitchings joined the practice in February of this year...Ms. Hitchings has been a frequent speaker on healthcare fraud and False Claims Act developments. She also served as a consultant to the national non-profit Public Rights Project, where she designed a training curriculum that will boost the affirmative investigation and litigation skills of government attorneys across the country.

Pursuing A Vision via Albuquerque Journal
[Torri] Jacobus applied for and was recently selected by the Public Rights Project to participate in a yearlong Affirmative Leaders Fellowship in her role with the city. She joins 28 other attorneys from across the United States. As part of the program, she will receive training and other professional development, as well as be able to network with others in similar positions across the country.