Zenab Youssef
Celebrating Two Years of the IRA: Our ...

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!

Celebrating Two Years of the IRA: Our Achievements and Impact
Zenab Youssef
A Law Student's Journey at the Border with ...
A Law Student's Journey at the Border with Project Corazon
L4GG Updates
Zenab Youssef
We Won’t Sit Silently in the Face of ...

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.

We Won’t Sit Silently in the Face of Environmental Racism - Neither Should You
L4GG Updates
Sterling Howard
What can YOU do to fight for abortion access ...
L4GG Updates
Sterling Howard
L4GG Publishes Joint Report with New Georgia ...

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.

L4GG Publishes Joint Report with New Georgia Project on Ballot Selfies

BodilyAutonomy

L4GG Condemns Court Ruling to Pull Abortion Medication Off Market

Last Friday, federal judge Matthew Kascmaryk, of the Northern District of Texas, issued a ruling invalidating the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval of mifepristone, one of two medications used in a standard medication abortion regimen. Mifepristone has been approved by the FDA for use in medication abortions since 2000, and its safety and efficacy records are exceptional.  

This decision is the latest in a slew of anti-abortion policies and rulings since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year, and if allowed to take effect, it could be the most catastrophic ruling since Dobbs itself. Judge Kascmaryk’s decision would require manufacturers to cease distribution of the medication during the pendency of the litigation, further limiting access to abortion care for patients nationwide, including in those states where abortion is legal and protected. Mifepristone is used in over 50% of pregnancy terminations in the U.S., and without it, patients across the country will have trouble finding timely medical care. 

Judge Kascmaryk’s ruling is anti-choice and is a vicious attack against the right to bodily autonomy.

““In an attempt to further limit access to reproductive care, Judge Kascmaryk’s ruling ignores or distorts decades of credible data about the safety and efficacy of mifepristone for medication abortion. Regardless of the ultimate outcome of the litigation, it represents another political intrusion into a medical decision making process that should only take place between doctor and patient. ” ”
— Alyssa Morrison, Reproductive Justice Staff Attorney at Lawyers for Good Government (L4GG)

The same day, a federal judge in Washington issued a competing ruling that would prohibit the FDA from discontinuing its use. It is unclear at this time what the impact of the competing rulings will be on access to this essential medication.

Reproductive Health Legal Assistance Project (RHLAP)

It is more crucial than ever for lawyers to fight for reproductive health and abortion access post-Dobbs. L4GG is continuing to provide reproductive healthcare providers with crucial legal guidance and updates on abortion laws in 56 states and territories through our Reproductive Health Legal Assistance Program (RHLAP). No matter what unjust policies are enacted in our country, we stand firm in our fight for reproductive justice.

If you are interested in volunteering for RHLAP, click here to learn more!