Refugee Caravan: A Legal Observer’s Report from Tijuana

Image: Tents of hunger striking  asylum seekers at the border. The tent on the left reads one of their demands, “#2: Que se facilite el proceso legal del asilo USA / #2: That the legal process for US asylum be facilitated.” The tent on the right reads, “Estamos en huelga de hambre / We are […]

Battle for the Bench: Resisting the Rise of the Judicial Right

By Traci Yoder, NLG Director of Research and Education Recent Supreme Court decisions upholding Trump’s Muslim ban, allowing businesses to discriminate against LGBTQ people, and weakening public sector unions have emphasized the considerable power of the judiciary and the devastating results that occur when it is dominated by conservative judges. With the resignation of Justice […]

Second J20 Trial Ends with No Convictions, Prosecutor Hiding Evidence

By Jude Ortiz, NLG Mass Defense Committee Chair Washington, DC – Much has happened in the J20 (inauguration conspiracy) case since the NLG wrote about the first J20 trial in November 2017. Let’s start from the latest developments and work our way backwards: the second trial ended with either acquittals or mistrials on the charges […]

Conservative-led Anti-Protest Legislation Already Doubled Since Last Year

By Traci Yoder, Director of Research and Education Last March, the NLG shared an overview and analysis of the wave of anti-protest legislation sweeping state legislatures across the country. At the time, we were looking at 25 bills proposed in 19 states—all focused on limiting the right to protest or removing liability for harm caused […]

Struggles of Using Legal Recourse as a Path Toward Better Prison Conditions

Lisa Drapkin, NLG Membership Director It seems there could never be enough legal support to help the millions of prisoners who would benefit from having a lawyer at arms’ length. Whether it is lack of medical care, abhorrent nutrition, exposure to extreme temperatures, lack of clean water, or brutality by prison guards, there are endless […]

The Dangers of Deregulation Under Trump and Pence

By Traci Yoder, NLG Director of Research and Education On December 14th, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will vote whether to end what is popularly known as “net neutrality.” Citing the previous administration’s “heavy handed Internet regulation,” current FCC Chair Ajit Pai proposes “returning to the longstanding light-touch regulatory framework for the Internet and restoring […]

#COINTELPRO: Disrupting Resistance Movements in the Digital Age

By Tasha Moro, NLG Communications Director Trials began last week in the historic prosecution of nearly 200 “J20” defendants indiscriminately arrested en masse during protests against Trump’s inauguration in Washington, DC, each facing more than 60 years in prison on rioting and property damage charges. In an affront to the First and Fourth Amendments, federal […]

Inauguration Protest Trials Begin, Resistance Continues

By King Downing, Director of Mass Defense  Trials start today for the first group of January 20 (J20) inauguration protest arrestees. Most of the 192 remaining defendants continue to face riot,  conspiracy, and property destruction charges equaling up to 60 years in prison. On November 13, the seven defendants in the December 11 trial block […]