Welcome to the Member Recap, where you can catch up on NLG news from the last two weeks.
Be sure to keep up with us in real time on social media, on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook
Upcoming Webinars, Publications, and Announcements
Help Us #DropTheCharges Against BLM Protesters!
So far, we’ve received 2,500 signatures on our national petition demanding that the Biden administration drop the federal charges against the 350+ protesters who participated in last year’s uprising for Black lives. Help us reach our goal of 5,000 by May 25, the one-year anniversary of George Floyd’s murder. SIGN and SHARE the letter at bit.ly/DropTheChargesBLM and/or signal boost any of the following posts: Facebook/ Twitter / Instagram
We’re also collecting organizational endorsements, with 45 groups signed on so far! If your organization would like to endorse, please complete the form here.
May 7, 5:30 PST: NLG-SF Santa Rita Jail Hotline Training
NLG San Francisco‘s Santa Rita Hotline will be hosting a training for hotline workers this Friday, May 7th at 5:30pm. If you have questions or are interested in joining, please contact: srjhotline@nlgsf.org.
If you can’t make it but would like to volunteer with the hotline, you can fill out their interest form online.
May 13: Endangered Species and Border Walls
Join NLG-NYC, along with scientists, lawyers, and politicians for a discussion on whether impenetrable, man-made border walls harm endangered species and accelerate extinction. You can take a look at the full list of speakers at their EventBrite page online.
Register here! The event will take place May 13, 2021, from 12 PM – 1:30 PM EST.
National Immigration Project (NIP-NLG)’s 2021 Annual Pre-AILA Crimes & Immigration Seminar
NIP-NLG is hosting a two-day seminar series all about immigration, including sessions on: “Winning Effective Post-Conviction Relief for Immigrants,” Crimes of Violence After United States v. Borden,” and “Immigration Implications of Diversion Programs.” There is a registration fee, and all information can be found on their site.
Currently, 7.75 Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credit hours are pending with the Virginia State Bar, the State Bar of California, the State Bar of Texas, and the Washington State Bar.
National, Committee, and Chapter Statements and News
NLG Palestine Subcommittee Submits Memo to Biden Administration Laying Out Legal Basis for Immediate Reversal of Trump Policies on Palestine/Israel
A recent memo from the Palestine Subcommittee of the NLG Interntional Committee: “Today, the National Lawyers Guild (NLG) International Committee’s Palestine Subcommittee submitted a memorandum to the Biden administration laying out the legal basis for immediate reversal of the Trump administration’s policies on Palestine/Israel and further actions necessary to bring the United States in compliance with international law.”
Book Review: Trying Times by NLG & NPAP’s Terry Gilbert
Reviewed by David Gespass, NLG past president and member of NLG-Alabama: “Really, the importance of Terry’s book and the critical lesson it teaches, is that when you litigate in US courts and you are fighting for true justice, you are in enemy territory.”
International Commission of Inquiry on Systemic Racist Police Violence Report
Last week, the International Commission of Inquiry on Systemic Racist Police Violence against People of African Descent in the US released their 188-page report, on how racist police violence against Black people in the US amounts to crimes against humanity and other violations of international law.
Read the full report at inquirycommission.org/report and watch last week’s press conference here, which includes Philonese Floyd, brother of George Floyd; Collette Flanagan of Mothers Against Police Brutality; and Gwen Carr, mother of Eric Garner, as well as members of the international commission and its steering committee.
NLG In The News
5/4/21 | The Guardian | ‘We’re terrorized’: LA sheriffs frequently harass families of people they kill, says report
“Los Angeles sheriff deputies frequently harass the families of people they have killed, including taunting them at vigils, parking outside their homes and following them and pulling them over for no reason, according to a new report from the National Lawyers Guild (NLG) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).”
5/3/21 | Common Dreams | National Lawyers Guild Urges Biden to Align US Israel-Palestine Policy With International Law
“The memo (pdf), authored by the National Lawyers Guild (NLG) International Committee’s Palestine Subcommittee, notes that after four years of “bullish and detrimental” U.S. policy on Palestine and Israel under the Trump administration, “the health, human rights, and humanitarian situation for Palestinians—both in Palestine and in the refugee camps of surrounding countries—is dire.”
5/1/21 | Microsoft News | Biden immigration moves under scrutiny from left and right
“It’s actually astonishing the Biden administration kept [Title 42] in place and are using it to expel people seeking refuge without even allowing them to pursue their claims,” said Sirine Shebaya, executive director of the National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild.”
4/28/21 | Patch | Somerville Bans Tear Gas, Limits Police Use Of Other Projectiles
“The Massachusetts chapter of the National Lawyers Guild called the ordinance an “important and historic piece of legislation” that places Somerville at the “forefront of the movement to de-militarize America’s urban police forces.”
4/27/21 | The Guardian | Police killings of Black Americans amount to crimes against humanity, international inquiry finds
Read this in-depth piece on the International Commission of Inquiry’s findings on how racist police violence against Black people in the US amounts to crimes against humanity and other violations of international law.
Jobs
Members-Only Job Board
Are you searching for a movement-related legal or organizing job OR internship?
A reminder that all current NLG members have access to our Members-Only job board! This resource includes open positions for attorneys, paralegals, organizers, legal workers and law students.
Check it out at nlg.org/job-board (NOTE: you must be logged in with your nlg.org account to view this page). Have a job or internship listing you’d like to share with fellow Guild members? Send it to jobboard@nlg.org.
