Talk:Equal Justice Under Law (civil rights organization)

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Founded in 2014, Equal Justice Under Law is an American civil rights organization in Washington, D.C., which provides pro bono legal services to those most in need and accepts cases on a national basis. The group has filed twenty-seven lawsuits in twelve states and the District of Columbia targeted at ending unequal practices in our justice system. They engage in "litigation and advocacy to reform the structures, norms, and incentives that create and perpetuate violations of fundamental rights" such as wealth-based detention, modern day debtors' prisons, and abusive probation practices.[5]

Ending the American Money Bail System

In January 2015, Equal Justice Under Law launched Varden v. City of Clanton, its first challenge to money bail systems in federal court in Alabama which has drawn national attention in the wake of the United States Department of Justice's decision to file a Statement of Interest in the case.

Since the beginning of 2015, Equal Justice Under Law has filed ten class action challenges to money bail systems in eight states. As a result form these lawsuits, cities in Alabama, Kansas Missouri, Mississippi, and Louisiana have reformed their practices to end the use of secured money bail for new arrestees.[6]

Fighting Abusive Probation Practices

On October 1, 2015, Equal Justice Under Law in coordination with the law firm Baker Donelson filed a landmark RICO and constitutional class action law suit "in federal court in Nashville challenging the pervasive extortion and debtors’ prison conspiracy that has devastated thousands of the most impoverished people in Rutherford County, Tennessee."[7] This was in response to the the six-month investigation that exposed rampant corruption, racketeering, and constitutional violations pervading the Rutherford County probation system. On December 17, 2015, Equal Justice Under Law claimed a victory when the the court issued a preliminary injunction "ruling protecting thousands of additional misdemeanor probationers, ordering the release of those illegally jailed and preventing the company and the County from illegally keeping impoverished misdemeanor probationers in jail solely because of their inability to pay."

Shutting Down Debtors' Prisons

Equal Justice Under Law has been focused on conducting extensive investigations into the rise of modern-day Debtors' prison and in September of 2015, they filed a class action law suit in federal court in New Orleans that alleges "widespread and systemic violations of basic human and civil rights in the New Orleans legal system." [8]

Exposing and challenging some of the most flagrant and profitable debtors’ prisons schemes in the country, the group has multiple lawsuits open in states such as Alabama, Missouri, Mississippi and Louisiana.

Maxwell moilanen (talk) 06:14, 20 November 2016 (UTC)Max

"Equal Justice Under Law". Jump up ^ "Ending the American Money Bail System". Jump up ^ "Private Probation". Jump up ^ "Ending Debtors' Prisons"