January 2018 | Washington Lawyers' Committee eNewsletter
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Dear <<First Name>>,

Below is the first eNewsletter of the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for 2018. This year, we celebrate 50 years of being on the forefront of racial and economic justice. In each year of those five decades, Committee staff and co-counsel have brought cases of consequence that delivered justice to tens of thousands of people across the country and shaped civil rights law. With our innovative docket, we are turning to face the racial justice challenges of today and supporting the civil rights movement of the future.
 
Over the next year, we hope that you will join us to recognize the courageous advocacy of our clients, co-counsel, and staff and support us to continue the fight for what is right and just.

Jon Smith
Executive Director, Washington Lawyers’ Committee
Standing Against Injustice
Standing Against Injustice
Three years ago, Erick Little bravely took a stand against injustice. Today, he is part of positive change that has already made a real difference in his life and in the lives of other local African-American workers. Mr. Little and a class of African-American applicants and employees who were denied employment opportunities sued WMATA for its now-discontinued overly broad and unnecessarily punitive policy regarding the consideration of convictions in the hiring process. In November, the class reached a settlement. Thanks to his courage and tenacity Mr. Little now has the job he applied to four years ago, and many other workers in a similar situation are employed by WMATA as well.
Housing Choice Limited by Race Discrimination
housing choice limited
Today, the promise of meaningful housing choice provided in our federal and local fair housing laws continues to be illusory as housing segregation based on race and national origin persists across the nation. Increasingly, property management companies are utilizing arbitrary criminal record bans to exclude individuals with criminal histories—most of whom are African American or Latino—even though efficient and effective alternatives exist to ensure legitimate interests. We are suing one such property management company which implemented this kind of arbitrary and punitive policy…
Staff Spotlight: Hannah Lieberman & Katia Garrett
The Committee is extremely fortunate to have two distinguished advocates recently join our team. Read more about Hannah Lieberman and Katia Garrett...
Hannah Lieberman
“I am inspired every day by the Committee’s relentless dedication to remedy economic and social inequities and preserve fundamental rights. To be a part of those efforts is a dream come true.” –Hannah Lieberman, Special Counsel
Katia Garrett
“I can't think of a better or more essential place to be during these challenging times. I am honored to be part of the Lawyers' Committee's work to make equity and justice a reality for all in our community.” – Katia Garrett, Chief Operating Officer
Special Event: A Discussion with Richard Rothstein
Author of The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America 

March 19, 2018 - 6:30pm

Mayer Brown LLP
1999 K Street, NW

RSVP HERE
Committee Alumnus Endows Fellowship
Remembering John Nolan
The Committee is immensely grateful to Christine Webber, a former WLC attorney, who has endowed the Small, Webber, and Spencer Litigation Fellowship with the Women’s Law & Public Policy Fellowship Program. The first fellow will be placed at the Washington Lawyers’ Committee in 2018-2019 Thank you, Christine!
More News
  • On January 10, Hannah Lieberman spoke about transportation justice, racial justice, and community organizing following the documentary Free to Ride.
     
  • Phil Fornaci’s testimony to the DC Council recommended critical improvements to the Returning Citizens Opportunity to Succeed Amendment Act of 2017, which provides limited benefits for returning citizens upon their release from Bureau of Prisons custody.
     
  • Phil Fornaci and Tiffany Yang’s joint testimony to the DC Council urged revisions to the Criminal Record Accuracy Assurance Act of 2017 as well as the various criminal record sealing and expungement acts before the Council, which embody important but incomplete steps in limiting the collateral damage that involvement in the criminal system can inflict on individuals and on our community.
     
  • Deepa Goraya was profiled in the ABA Journal, “Attorneys with disabilities make success accessible”
     
  • The Committee joined youth justice and civil rights professionals, experts, and advocates to offer comments on the American Correctional Association’s "Proposed Expected Practices and Definitions for the Use of Separation With Juveniles."
     
  • Thanks in part to Committee advocacy, a provision in the “Homeless Services Reform Amendment Act of 2017” (“HSRA”) that would have had a devastating impact on people reentering society in the District was removed before the bill, sadly, was passed by the DC Council.
Amicus Roundup
 
We joined other civil rights and social justice organizations in support of a preliminary injunction filed in two cases in the Eastern District of New York to enjoin rescission of the DACA program.

We joined other prisoners’ rights groups in a SCOTUS amicus brief addressing whether the First Amendment protects the speech of a prisoner who tells an officer she intends to file a grievance regarding the officer’s misconduct.

We also joined other disability rights groups in an 11th Circuit amicus brief regarding a question of website accessibility and violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Fight Injustice & Inequality with WLC: Volunteer and Pro Bono Opportunities
Workers' Rights Clinic January Schedule
Click here to get involved with clinic and additional volunteer opportunities with the Committee.
  • Wednesdays, January 3, 10, 17, 24, and 31 from 6–9 p.m., at Bread for the City, 1525 Seventh Street NW
  • Fridays, January 5 and 19, from 12–4 p.m. at the Neighborhood Legal Services Program office at 2811 Pennsylvania Avenue SE
  • Saturday, January 27, from 10 a.m.–1 p.m., at Bread for the City, 1640 Good Hope Road SE
Quarterly School Partnership and Parent Empowerment Program Luncheon
Join us on January 25, 2018, at Arent Fox LLP (1717 K St., NW) to learn more about the Committee’s education work. RSVP here. 
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