You shouldn’t need to be rich to defend your civil rights in court

If the government violates your civil rights, should you only be able to defend yourself in court if you can afford a high-priced lawyer (or convince a high-priced lawyer to represent you for free)? Of course not.

But Deborah La Fetra has details about an upcoming Supreme Court case that could ultimately open (or close) the courthouse doors to many civil rights plaintiffs.

Read More

The California Eviction Moratorium—why PLF does not challenge all bad laws

Late last month, the California legislature passed and Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law Assembly Bill 3088. Among other things, the new statute imposes several limitations on landlords’ right to evict tenants.

Damien Schiff explains why, even though the law is a bald violation of property and contract rights, PLF will take a pass on challenging it.

Read More

New PLF Podcast: Dissed

We’re proud to announce our new podcast, Dissed, about dissenting opinions at the Supreme Court.

Dissents have it all: brilliant writing, surprising reasoning, shade, puns, and sometimes historic impact. Although they are necessarily written by the "losing" side, they’re still important: they can provide a roadmap for future challenges, persuade their colleagues, and sometimes they're just cathartic.

In Dissed, attorneys Anastasia Boden and Elizabeth Slattery dig deep into important dissents, both past and present, and reveal the stories behind them. The pilot episode features interviews with a host of prominent judges and Supreme Court practitioners who dish on dissents.