About us

Our story

Public Rights Project was founded in 2017 by Jill Habig to help local government officials fight for civil rights. As an attorney and political strategist, she witnessed the many ways that government misuses or underuses its power. That led to her commitment to working with local officials, using affirmative litigation to defend the most marginalized communities against threats.

Public Rights Project is the only national organization dedicated to partnering with state, local, and tribal government officials on litigation and capacity development to advance civil rights and democracy. We also work with state officials and power-building organizations to help local governments protect and advance civil rights for their communities. Our work prioritizes BIPOC people, LGBTQIA+ people, pregnant people, and workers. 

Our values

Authenticity & inclusion: We embrace diversity in identities, experiences, and expression. We practice radical acceptance — of ourselves and each other. We are creating a workplace that allows us all to bring our whole selves to work and dismantles current or historical barriers to doing so, including our own practices and biases.

Care for people: We put people first, acknowledge our shared humanity, and model community care. We move beyond transactional to deeper, connected relationships by making space to listen and learn each other’s stories and lived experiences.

Change & growth: We are works in progress, moving toward a just future through sustainable growth and learning rooted in our mission. We approach our learning with curiosity, vulnerability, and openness, reflecting on and accepting our limitations as part of the process.

Partnership for impact: We build a network of mutual support, collaboration, learning, and accountability based on trust and shared values with and between community and government partners. We believe in harnessing the power and the experiences of the collective to have a greater impact than we could on our own.

Reimagining justice: We know justice is not a singular outcome, but a continuum. We center people of color and their communities, focusing on people who have historically been least served by government and capitalism. We hold powerful actors accountable and tackle root causes of systems of oppression. We pursue equity to work towards collective liberation and transform our world.