The Perfect Time to Go Solo

By Larry Redmond and Priscilla Orta, NLG Solo Caucus At October’s NLG Convention in Oakland, the Solo Caucus met for the first time in–well, who knows how long! But one thing was clear: the energy was high, and the commitment to continue the Caucus was absolute. During the ensuing conversation, it became clear that the […]

Guild Members Help Asylum Seekers in Dilley, Texas

By Isabella Fernandez, Rodrigo Juarez, and Juliann Peebles, NLG Portland Chapter Following the summer of 2014, the Obama Administration contracted two for-profit prison corporations, CCA and GEO Group, Inc. to open and operate detention centers that detain family units of women and children, mostly asylum seekers from Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador. These countries have […]

Many Hands Make Positive Change at Wayne State

By Sean Riddell, Wayne State University NLG Law students often feel as though they do not have the capacity to make a change in their communities. We feel as if the problems are too large, our voice is too quiet, or our free time is too rare. For those reasons, we talk ourselves out of […]

NLG Asks Obama to “Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is” on Cuba

By Art Heitzer, Cuba Subcommittee Chair December 17, 2015 will mark a year after Presidents Barack Obama and Raul Castro announced the release of the Cuban Five and other prisoners, and the U.S. pledge to normalize relations with Cuba. While embassies have been opened and the U.S. no longer lists Cuba as a terrorist sponsor, […]

Run the Jewels “Meows” the Guild

During the Law for the People Convention, the NLG learned that in addition to $40,000 in proceeds from their feline-inspired remix album, “Meow the Jewels” pledged to the families of Mike Brown and Eric Garner, acclaimed rap group Run the Jewels will donate the album’s remaining and future profits to the National Lawyers Guild Mass […]

Liz Fink, Rest in Power

Elizabeth “Liz” Fink (1945-2015) was a “second-generation,” lifelong NLG-NYC member and fierce criminal defense attorney. In this Speaking Freely video, Liz explains how she grew up in the Guild and what led her to become a radical lawyer, ultimately winning a $12 million settlement for the victims of the 1971 Attica prison uprising. Elizabeth Fink […]

President’s Column: Political Prisoners and the Struggle for Justice

“La lucha sin amor se muere.”  (Struggle, without love, will die). These are the words of Puerto Rican political prisoner Oscar López Rivera during my visit to see him in federal prison in November. I spent an afternoon with him, along with his lawyer and Guild attorney Jan Susler and Juan Cartagena, President of LatinoJustice […]

Battleground: Lockdown

How Long-Term Solitary Adversely Impacts Society By Dr. George Willie Buford, III, D.D. | Lewisburg, PA One significant, yet overlooked battleground in our march toward American criminal justice reform is the federal lockdown facility. As the federal government usurps vast areas of state criminal justice concern, more federal disproportionality will be realized. People of Color—and poor […]