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Victory: Black Hawk County Jail Fee Case Heads Back to District Court

The Eighth Circuit reversed a lower court dismissal, finding that Black Hawk County’s policy of forcing people to sign away their rights at jail release constitutes real harm. The case returns to district court.

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What We Stand For

Public Justice takes on the biggest systemic threats to justice — abusive corporate power and predatory practices, the assault on civil rights and liberties, and the destruction of the Earth’s sustainability.

The nation’s court system is one of the powerful tools we employ to tear down these barriers. As we pursue our work, we engage our clients as equals, because we believe all people — regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, disability, religion, social identity, or income status — deserve the opportunity to hold institutions and corporations accountable.

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Our victories
our coalition partners

Defending Access 
to Justice

Everyone deserves their day in court. But powerful corporations and government institutions have found ways to make that nearly impossible — banning litigation, forcing arbitration, and burying evidence. We’re fighting for workers, families, and consumers who deserve better.

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Advancing Students’ Civil Rights

Students cannot learn when they are combating bigotry, harassment, and violence. We use litigation, advocacy, and education to enforce civil rights laws and build a world where every student has the freedom to be who they are and learn free from discrimination.

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Protecting the Environment

Our nation’s environmental laws authorize any individual whose interests may be impacted by pollution to file suit against those causing harm. Those laws are the foundation of our efforts to fight climate change, secure environmental justice, and make polluters pay.

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Ending the Criminalization of Poverty

America makes poverty a crime at every step of the justice system — from arrest through the imposition of fines and fees. We use litigation, advocacy, and education to stop governments and private prisons from treating people as a source of revenue.

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Public Justice 44th annual

gala and awards dinner

Monday, July 27th | 6pm

Register for Public Justice’s Gala and Awards Dinner!

Join us for an evening of celebration and connection with the Public Justice community of members and allies from across the country who are committed to our shared vision of justice, opportunity and a legal system that is open to, and working for, everyone.

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Recent Updates

Debtors’ Prison Project

Public Justice and the ACLU of Iowa Win Appeal in Black Hawk County Lawsuit

Civil rights groups today won an appeal in a federal class action lawsuit that seeks to block the Black Hawk County Sheriff’s office from wrongly extracting money from people before releasing them from jail and from demanding payment under coercive terms. The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals concluded that plaintiffs are harmed by the jail’s policy of seizing their money, demanding payment, and forcing them to waive all rights to challenge jail fees. 
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Press Releases + Statements

Youth Petitioners Ask Federal Court to Pause EPA’s Erasure of the Endangerment Finding and Vehicle Pollution Limits Before Damage to Children’s Constitutional Rights Becomes Impossible to Reverse

Contacts: Julia Olson, Chief Legal Counsel, 415.786.4825, julia@ourchildrenstrust.org Helen Britto, Communications Director, 925.588.1171, helen@ourchildrenstrust.org Nicole Funaro, Media Relations Strategist, communications@publicjustice.net […]
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How Can Members of the Public Help?

The more the general public and threatened communities understand how the legal system is tilted toward corporations, the more judges and lawmakers will be forced to reconsider their approaches. See how you can get involved.

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How Can Lawyers Get Involved?

Corporations have gone from breaking the law to rewriting the rules to avoid all accountability — and the Trump Administration is helping them do it. We’re fighting for workers, families, and consumers, inside the courtroom and out.

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Public Justice has a strong record of snatching progressive victories from a conservative [Supreme] Court.

Mark Joseph Stern, Slate

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When powerful interests put profits ahead of people, Public Justice fights back. Donate today to help protect workers, consumers, families, and our right to seek justice.

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