By Henry Schneider, WSU NLG Facilitator Beginning in October 2016, the Wayne State University Chapter of the NLG began collecting donations for the Sacred Stone Camp and the Water Protector Legal Collective (WPLC). In January 2017, the WSU NLG organized a panel that would (1) orient the audience to the legal claims the Standing Rock […]
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Announcing the 2016 NLG Foundation Guild Grants Recipients
By Daniel McGee, NLG Foundation Managing Director The National Lawyers Guild Foundation (NLGF) is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2016 Guild Grants Program. A total of $25,000 was awarded to seven grantees to support the educational and social justice goals of the Foundation, promote membership in the NLG, and strengthen programmatic work between […]
In Loving Memory of Brother and Comrade, M. Jon “Jonny” Posner
By John Royal, NLG Detroit/Michigan Chapter President On January 11, 2017, we lost a longtime member of the NLG Detroit/Michigan Chapter and prominent local criminal defense attorney, M. Jon (“Jonny”) Posner. Jonny fought heroically against his illness to the very end, just as he did in life for his clients and social justice activists. Jonny […]
Diane “Cookie” Polan: An Extraordinary Life
By Anne M. Hamilton Reprinted with permission of The Hartford Courant [original piece available here] Cookie Polan’s political sensibilities became apparent in high school when she refused to stand for the National Anthem at a Jets game. Her sense of right and wrong shaped her career as a courageous, committed, outspoken criminal defense lawyer. “She […]
Law and Disorder: Increasingly Relevant
By Heidi Boghosian, former NLG Executive Director and Michael Steven Smith, NLG-NYC NLG members across the country can now be heard on Law and Disorder Radio on the Internet and broadcast on 100 stations across the country. The 60-minute civil liberties program was launched in New York City and Pacifica’s WBAI in 2004 by Heidi Boghosian, […]
NLG Delegation to Mexico Highlights US-Supported Human Rights Atrocities
By Stephanie Bello, 2016 Delegation Member Two days after the 2016 election, 10 lawyers and human rights advocates from the NLG traveled to Mexico on a human rights delegation to follow up on the 2014 Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal and the 2015 International Tribunal of Conscience on the Human Rights Crisis in Mexico. From November 10-20, […]
“A Tilted Guide to Being a Defendant” Empowers Activists Targeted by Legal System
By Jude Ortiz, Tilted Scales Collective member and NLG Mass Defense Committee Chair As the NLG community knows all too well, the legal system often uses criminal charges and incarceration to quell dissent and undermine social movements. The new book, A Tilted Guide to Being a Defendant aims to educate and empower activists ensnared in […]
Introducing the 2017 Haywood Burns Fellows!
The NLG National Office is thrilled to announce our 2017 Haywood Burns Fellows! Steven DeCaprio is a Bay Area legal worker who is an expert in occupying, improving, and re-purposing abandoned properties. He is founder of Land Action, co-founder of the Association of Legal Apprentices, and principal author of the Emergency Tenant Protection Ordinance. Steven […]
#LawStrikesBack! NLG Rallies 40 Legal Orgs for Day of Action
By Tasha Moro, NLG Communications Director In just the few weeks since Donald Trump has taken office, we have seen a flurry of executive orders targeting immigrants and intensifying law enforcement; racist, unqualified millionaires appointed to the nation’s highest positions; assaults on the press; a crackdown on dissent; the rolling back of rights for transgender […]
Updates from the #NoDAPL Movement at Standing Rock
By WPLC Members and Staff The Water Protector Legal Collective (WPLC) is the on-the-ground legal team working in partnership with the NLG to provide representation for Water Protectors engaged in resistance to the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) at Standing Rock. WPLC provides emergency legal support on a daily basis, is coordinating the criminal defense effort […]