As we commemorate the two-year anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) today, August 16, there is much to celebrate about this historic legislation. The IRA represents the largest-ever climate investment in our country’s history, creating unprecedented opportunities for clean energy savings.
However, we at L4GG are acutely aware that historically marginalized communities often lack the resources to access the IRA’s historic funding opportunities. In response, we have intensified our efforts over the past two years to ensure that the benefits of the IRA reach those who need them most. See what we’ve been up to!
Not enough people are talking about the water crisis in Jackson, MS. On Tuesday, the Mississippi governor declared a state of emergency for Jackson’s water system, the city’s largest treatment plant. Most of the city’s 150,000 residents are without running water, having to rely on bottled water for drinking, showering, brushing their teeth, and cooking.
Lawyers for Good Government (L4GG), the nation’s largest community of attorneys committed to human rights and equal justice for all, and New Georgia Project, a nonpartisan, nonprofit voting rights and civic engagement organization in Georgia, today released a report on ‘ballot selfies’, or the practice of taking photos of oneself at the ballot box and/or with their ballots.
A ballot selfie is when a person takes a photo of themselves holding their marked ballot and usually uploads the photo to a social media account to show friends that they voted, and for whom they voted. Ballot selfies are a great way to promote voting and engage with one’s community, yet many states have laws that prohibit them. Advocacy organizations are concerned that laws prohibiting ballot selfies are tools of voter suppression, and another way to criminalize ordinary behavior.
Click here to download “Selfie-Defense Training: Understanding and Reforming Laws that Ban Photographing and Sharing Your Ballot”
The report found that ballot selfies are completely legal in 28 states, and illegal in 13 states. Five states have laws prohibiting ballot selfies at polling locations, but not when casting a mail-in or absentee ballot. Six states have laws governing ballot selfies that are unclear. The report calls for states to update their laws to explicitly allow voters the right to take a ballot selfie, and prevent voter fraud and bribery without curtailing free speech.
Lawyers for Good Government (L4GG) joined more than two dozen civil rights organizations in filing amicus briefs urging the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to block the Trump administration’s executive orders threatening law firms and legal organizations for challenging the administration’s policies.
We are witnessing what may be the most concerted effort to undermine the legal profession since the McCarthy era. The administration's targeted executive orders against law firms, investigations into diversity policies, attacks on judicial independence, and defiance of court orders represent a direct threat to our constitutional system.
The window for effective action is narrow, and it is now.
Our collective power as legal professionals is immense, but only if we choose to exercise it. Here are four specific ways you can help defend our profession and democracy:
Express your interest in participating in or helping organize a rally at a federal courthouse in your city on May 1, 2025. Express your interest at L4GG.org/LawDay.
Make a sustaining contribution of $25 or more per month to the L4GG Action Fund (our 501c4 organization) at L4GG.org/JoinTheMovement. Your ongoing support will help us build the infrastructure needed for both immediate crisis response and long-term democratic renewal.
Receive bi-weekly concrete action items tailored for busy attorneys at L4GG.org/ImpactDocket. Whether you have 2 minutes or 2 hours, we'll provide meaningful ways for you to make your voice heard.
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Lawyers for Good Government (L4GG) today announced a significant expansion of its Federal Fund Protection Clinic with the launch of a new 1:1 pro bono legal assistance program. This enhancement builds upon the Clinic's ongoing efforts to safeguard federal climate and environmental justice funding that has been at risk due to executive actions, administrative delays, termination notices, and compliance challenges. The Fund Protection Clinic, which has been providing legal analysis, guidance, and resources to more than 300 federal grantees since its inception in January, will now offer direct, personalized legal consultations with qualified pro bono attorneys beginning March 21, 2025.
Lawyers for Good Government (L4GG) applauds the recent decision by U.S. District Judge Adam Abelson, who on February 21 issued a preliminary injunction blocking key provisions of President Trump's executive orders seeking to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in the federal government and among federal contractors.
Lawyers for Good Government (L4GG) is pleased to announce the appointment of Ryan Hathaway as the new Director of Environment and Climate Justice. Ryan joins L4GG following an extensive career in federal service, most recently serving in the Biden administration as the Director for Environmental Justice and White House Interagency Council on Environmental Justice in the Executive Office of the President.
In the past month, L4GG’s work has been featured in multiple major media outlets—highlighting the fight to defend the rule of law, protect climate policy, and hold our government accountable. These stories make one thing clear: our legal community has never been more vital.
As the Trump Administration attempts to bypass Congress, defy court orders, and dismantle climate and environmental protections, L4GG is mobilizing lawyers to push back against executive overreach and defend our democracy.
Over the past two years, we have worked with grantees to ensure they remain in compliance with federal, state, and local funding regulations. Now, we are witnessing firsthand the devastating impact of ongoing federal funding freezes on nonprofits, Tribal organizations, and under-resourced communities. Despite clear legal obligations—and in some cases, direct court orders—federal agencies continue to delay payments, block access to grant portals, and ignore grantees’ urgent requests for information. These funding disruptions are causing real, irreparable harm: organizations are shutting down programs, laying off workers, and struggling to continue essential services.
