Category Archives: White House

Legal Aid Interagency Roundtable Inaugural Meeting is Springboard for Federal ATJ Initiatives

Posted on March 28, 2016 by richardzorza

The Federal Government Legal Aid Inter-agency Roundtable met for its inaugural meeting on February 29.  The Roundtable is under the White House Domestic Policy Council and DOJ. As Co-Chair Attorney General Loretta Lynch put it: “The consequences of limited access … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Generally, Dept. of Justice, LAIR, White House | 2 Comments

Jim Sandman’s Comment on the Nomination of Judge Garland and Access to Justice

Posted on March 17, 2016 by richardzorza

Many of us have been wondering about the potential implications of the nomination of Judge Garland for access to justice. Well, here is one very important clue, a comment by LSC President Jim Sandman.  Jim is, of course, a former … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Generally, Federal Courts, Supreme Court, White House | Comments Off on Jim Sandman’s Comment on the Nomination of Judge Garland and Access to Justice

A Different Take on The Supreme Court Vacancy — A Bipartisan Access to Justice Opportunity

Posted on February 15, 2016 by richardzorza

The apparently inevitable partisan political wresting on the open Supreme Court seat has already started.  But maybe there’s a different way of thinking about this.  Although, after McConnel threw down the gauntlet about letting the people decide, I am not … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Generally, Supreme Court, White House | 3 Comments

Presidential Memorandum on Access to Justice and Legal Aid Interagency Roundtale is Major Milestone in Creating the National ATJ Mosaic

Posted on September 24, 2015 by richardzorza

A big deal.  The President has put in place a Presidential Memorandum on access to justice and the Legal Aid Interagency Roundtable (LAIR).  This joins the Conference of Chiefs/COSCA 100% Resolution as the second huge piece in the national Mosaic … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Generally, Budget Issues, Discrimination, Funding, International Cooperation, Outcome Measures, Research and Evalation, Tools, White House | 6 Comments

An Urgent Call for Action on Moving Potential Clemency Cases Forward

Posted on July 28, 2015 by richardzorza

This blog urges the legal profession, both institutionally and individually, to step up now and play its role to help free thousands of nonviolent drug offenders given draconian federal sentences, and now potentially eligible for Presidential clemency.  First the background. … Continue reading →

Posted in Criminal Law, Defender Programs, Dept. of Justice, Legal Ethics, Reentry, Technology, White House | Comments Off on An Urgent Call for Action on Moving Potential Clemency Cases Forward

President’s Budget Proposes Civil Legal Research and Civil Legal Aid Competitive Grant Program

Posted on February 4, 2015 by richardzorza

Two important development for the future in the federal budget process.  While these proposals are unlikely to be sucessful tis year, they help create the environment thefuture, and can also be cited for the position of the Executive as to … Continue reading →

Posted in Defender Programs, Dept. of Justice, Funding, Triage, White House | 1 Comment

Guest Post From Elizabeth Arledge: #LegalAid Voices “Storm” the Twitterverse

Posted on January 20, 2015 by richardzorza

Elizabeth writes as follows: Well, THAT was fun. Something amazing happened last week on the way to tonight’s State of the Union address. When Voices for Civil Justice invited members of our JusticeVoices network to participate in a “Twitter storm” … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Generally, Communications Strategy, Funding, White House | Comments Off on Guest Post From Elizabeth Arledge: #LegalAid Voices “Storm” the Twitterverse

The Power of the Pen and Phone — Exploring Opportunities for Access to Justice in the Next Two Years

Posted on January 16, 2015 by richardzorza

Recent executive actions in immigration, and now asset forfeiture underline just how great is the President’s “power of the pen and phone.” — his ability by regulation or other executive action to make very significant changes in the way government … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Generally, Administative Proecdure, Budget Issues, Dept. of Justice, Document Assembly, E-filing, Funding, Law Schools, Non-Lawyer Practice, Veterans, White House | Tagged , , | Comments Off on The Power of the Pen and Phone — Exploring Opportunities for Access to Justice in the Next Two Years

That Deborah Leff is to Run the Pardon Office and The Expanded Clemency Program Highlights Importance of ATJ in Federal Government

Posted on April 24, 2014 by richardzorza

The DOJ plan to expand access to clemency to “nonviolent felons who have served at least 10 years in prison and who would have received significantly lower prison terms if convicted under today’s more lenient sentencing laws” as the Times … Continue reading →

Posted in Criminal Law, Dept. of Justice, White House | Comments Off on That Deborah Leff is to Run the Pardon Office and The Expanded Clemency Program Highlights Importance of ATJ in Federal Government

The Legal Aid Interagency Roundtable Toolkit is a Major Breakthrough

Posted on April 16, 2014 by richardzorza

Before the establishment of the Access to Justice Initiative within DOJ, Federal funding for community based — indeed all — legal aid was basically limited to LSC, with maybe odds and ends, usually through state routes, for senior services and … Continue reading →

Posted in Dept. of Justice, Funding, LSC, White House | 1 Comment

April 8 – Another Important Day for Access at the White House

Posted on April 9, 2014 by richardzorza

It’s becoming a wonderful tradition.  A White House Forum on Increasing Access to Justice, at which the administration’s commitment to access to justice is highlighted, hardworking partners are honored, and stakeholders get to network about future ideas. I plan to … Continue reading →

Posted in Dept. of Justice, Funding, Legal Aid, White House | 5 Comments