Lawyers for Good Government
Creating a more just, equitable, and sustainable democracy for all Americans.
We identify where lawyers can make the greatest impact and mobilize them to defend democracy and the rule of law, protect civil and human rights, and advance environmental justice for all Americans.
Learn more about our current programs below.
L4GG In the News
Jung had recognized an opportunity to bring people together to support the rule of law. Word quickly spread, and soon BASF connected with groups like Lawyers for Good Government (L4GG). L4GG already had something in the works when they learned of BASF’s plans. “We have an incredible community of 125,000 lawyers, nationwide,” said Sterling Howard, Vice President of Development and Engagement, and they were already hearing from members looking to hold events in their cities. The decision to join forces with BASF to coordinate parallel efforts was a no-brainer.
Late last week, the Trump administration issued a plan to streamline and modernize the technology undergirding environmental review and permit processes required for infrastructure projects like roads, bridges and power plants. The new plan builds on Biden-era work, but how implementation goes during Trump-era workforce reductions remains to be seen.
In the House of Representatives’ recently passed One Big Beautiful Bill Act, something ugly lurks beneath the surface. It is a provision — a single paragraph found about halfway through the bill’s 1,000-plus pages — that could hamstring judges, reduce access to the courts for the average person and reverse a number of the Trump administration’s legal setbacks and defeats.
ICE agents have made over a dozen arrests this week at immigration courts in lower Manhattan. Many migrants find themselves unsure if they should attend their hearings or not. Estuardo Cifuentes, director of programs at Proyecto Corazón, which provides legal aid to immigrants across the country, told Documented that at least two migrant families in New York affected by this week’s arrests have asked them for legal help.
By targeting pro bono programs, Trump’s vengeful executive orders deny real justice to those who need it most but can afford it the least. “Pro bono work is meant to be in service of individuals and communities who otherwise would not be able to afford legal representation,” said Traci Feit Love, founder and executive director of Lawyers for Good Government, a nonprofit group that connects lawyers, law students, and advocates on pro bono projects.
Howell’s 102-page decision presents the facts and legal analysis in a “linear and rational fashion” that makes it “a gift to whoever picks up this case if it’s appealed,” said Khadijah Silver, a civil rights supervising attorney at Lawyers for Good Government who closely followed the case. “The DOGE overreach piece is something that I think will hold up. It was, as Howell says, ultra vires, like nothing we’ve ever seen before. It was an absolute abuse of power that shocks the conscience of anybody who hears about it.”
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Today's Supreme Court decision in Trump v. CASA, Inc. represents a dangerous departure from our founding principles and poses an existential threat to the rule of law itself. By restricting federal courts' ability to issue universal injunctions against unconstitutional government actions, the Court has created what Justice Jackson aptly called a "zone of lawlessness" where the Executive can violate constitutional rights with impunity.
Washington, D.C. —Today, a coalition of nonprofits, Tribes and local governments sued the Trump administration for unlawfully terminating the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Environmental and Climate Justice (ECJ) Grant programs despite a Congressional directive to fund them.
The plaintiffs come from every region of the country and will be seeking class action certification and preliminary relief so that all 350 grant recipients who have been harmed by the wholesale termination of the EPA program may continue their initiatives. These community-based initiatives include improving climate disaster preparedness, expanding workforce development opportunities, improving and monitoring air quality, mitigating stormwater and flood damage, combating high energy costs, and improving community members’ ability to participate in decision-making and permitting processes that impact their health and environment.
Earthjustice, Southern Environmental Law Center, Public Rights Project, and Lawyers for Good Government filed the challenge on behalf of ECJ grant recipients to seek the nationwide restoration of the program and to require the administration to reinstate awarded grant agreements.
The Nation of Laws Coalition stands in strong support of the American Bar Association (ABA) for filing a lawsuit challenging the federal government's attempts at systematic intimidation of lawyers and law firms.
Whether it’s helping hospitals deliver life-saving care in the face of restrictive abortion laws, ensuring communities can access the clean energy funding they’re owed, or expanding legal pathways for asylum seekers - L4GG is stepping in where justice is most urgently needed. Moreover on May 1, more than 10,000 lawyers and advocates rallied in over 50 cities to defend the rule of law—an effort L4GG helped build from the ground up. And with the launch of our Impact Docket, our community is turning action into outcomes every two weeks.
The Trump administration is preparing a new rule that would block asylum seekers from obtaining work permits while their cases are pending. If enacted, this change would eliminate one of the only remaining lifelines in the U.S. asylum system. For over 30 years, asylum seekers have been able to apply for work permits after a certain waiting period. This proposal would undo that—turning survival into a privilege, and waiting into a punishment.
A blog post by Estuardo Cifuentes, Project Corazon Program Manager
The U.S. House of Representatives is preparing to vote on a bill that would do real, lasting harm to millions of people across this country.
We’re talking about a massive giveaway to billionaires—paid for by gutting essential services, expanding funding for ICE, and destroying key environmental protections.
Here’s how to take action!
