Help Crowdfund our Gerrymandering Lawsuit

Press Conference
Press Conference

Our work, like the many hours to prepare the Pennsylvania redistricting lawsuit, is only possible through the financial support of people like you. Now that the case is filed, we need your help to continue the fight. We estimate it will cost us $90,000 over the next two years to prepare this case and take it to trial. We have already raised $55,000 through private funders and a crowdfunding campaign, and now we need your help to raise the final $35,000. Every donation, no matter the size, helps. Can you support this lawsuit today? 

Razoo
Client Spotlight: Bill Marx

Bill Marx
Client Bill Marx and family
Meet Bill Marx, a client in our Pennsylvania Redistricting Lawsuit. Bill, from Pennsylvania's 12th district, grew up in Pittsburgh and currently serves in the US Army reserves. He just returned from a tour of duty as a military policeman overseas. He teaches AP U.S. Government and Civics at Taylor Allderdice High School in Pittsburgh.  He said, "The reason I signed onto this lawsuit is because I teach my students the importance of being involved in the political process, b ut the feeling of political powerlessness amongst my students creates cynicism about value of participation in the civic process."

Show your support for Bill and the rest of our Pennsylvania Redistricting Lawsuit clients by liking our post about him on our Facebook page.

Learn More


Concerns about Extended School Year Services Continue

School
Philadelphia School
In February 2017, the School District of Philadelphia
signed a class action settlement agreement  with parents of students with disabilities whom we represented. Under the settlement, the District agreed to individually determine the needs of each student with a disability for specific Extended School Year Services (ESY), which are services students can be entitled to under federal law during school breaks. I n addition, the District agreed to improve its communications with parents about their child's rights to individualized ESY determinations and services by offering trainings and written notifications. Through our monitorin g efforts and communications from parents, we learned that the District failed to provide the requisite notice in several district schools. 

If you are a parent of a student with an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) and you did not receive the notice, or if you have other ESY concerns, head to our website to learn more about what you can do to remedy the situation.

Learn More

Straight Talk on Crooked Lines -- The Impact of Gerrymandering on the Democratic Process
Thursday, September 28, 2017
4:45 - 8:00 PM | Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP

Speakers
From left to right: Carol Kuniholm, Michael Li, Deuel Ross and Ben Geffen
Join our distinguished panel of speakers for a 
Straight Talk on Crooked Lines: The Impact of Gerrymandering on the Democratic Process, followed by a reception and world premiere of a video about the Public Interest Law Center. In addition to our lawsuit, partisan gerrymandering is a hot-button issue across the United States. Both Wisconsin and Maryland are facing legal challenges about redistricting. 

Learn about the impact of gerrymandering and how it affects the democratic process from a distinguished group of speakers:
  • Carol Kuniholm, Chair and Co-founder, Fair Districts PA
  • Michael Li, Senior Counsel, Brennan Center for Justice
  • Deuel Ross, Assistant Counsel, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.
  • Ben Geffen, Staff Attorney, Public Interest Law Center
1 Substantive Pennsylvania CLE Credit is available to Pennsylvania attorneys.

Learn More

Expanding Access to Dental Care for Children

Dentistry
Child receiving dental care
The majority of children enrolled in Medicaid in Pennsylvania do not have access to basic dental care. Although all children on Medicaid are eligible for dental benefits, only 41% of children enrolled in Medicaid in Pennsylvania actually receive dental care, leaving almost 800,000 children without access to a dentist. After convening a coalition of stakeholders and practitioners to explore potential solutions, we have been advocating for an increased role for dental paraprofessionals to provide preventive care.
 
As part of this work, in partnership with Dechert LLP, we submitted a letter to the Pennsylvania State Board of Dentistry supporting a proposal to expand the settings in which public health dental hygiene practitioners (PHDHPs) can provide dental services. Allowing PHDHPs to practice in a wider variety of settings, including pediatricians' offices, would allow a greater number of kids to receive dental care services. 
The full letter can be found on our website .

Learn More


2017 Annual Celebration: Rise Up
Thursday, October 19, 2017
6 - 9 PM | Fringe Arts + La Peg

Rise Up
2017 Annual Celebration: Rise Up
Mark your calendar and buy your tickets today! On Thursday, October 19 join us as we 
Rise Up  to protect the values of equality and opportunity that we treasure so deeply in this nation. The magnificent Fringe Arts will serve as the backdrop for a wonderful night of food, drink and celebration. Most importantly, we will honor others who have Risen Up, including:
  • our Tenant Clients for standing up to their landlords and trying to change the system in Landlord-Tenant Court
  • attorney Stephen F. Gold for advancing the rights of people with disabilities through decades of radical litigation and advocacy
  • Philadelphia Bar Association Chancellor Deborah R. Gross. 
We are also excited to announce that Tamala Edwards of 6ABC will serve as the event emcee! Tamala  is the weekday co-anchor of Action News Mornings from 4:30am-7am, and is a regular co-host of Inside Story.

Learn More

Annual Celebration Spotlight: Stephen F. Gold, Esq.

Steve Gold
Stephen F. Gold, Esq.
We will honor Stephen F. Gold, Esq. at our Annual Celebration on October 19, 2017. Mr. Gold i s a nationally renowned disability rights attorney and has spent a third of a century fighting alongside people with mental and physical disabilities. The Americans with Disabilities Act Legacy Project called him "the foremost attorney in the disability rights movement." Mr. Gold is one of the foremost civil rights attorneys and a longtime friend of the Law Center. We are proud to be honoring him with a Thaddeus Stevens Award.

Learn More


FOLLOW US TO LEARN MORE!