New Report: Voters of Color Suffer Without Paid Leave

Today, Lawyers for Good Government (L4GG) released its new report indicating that there are still many legal barriers that prevent people from exercising their civic duty, and that those barriers primarily affect Black and Brown voters.  

The report, titled “No Time To Vote: Achieving Racial Equity in Paid Time Off on Election Day”, says that during the 2016, 2018, and 2020 elections, Black and Brown voters waited longer to vote than white voters. In 2016, voters in predominantly Black communities waited 29% longer than voters in predominantly white communities. 

To combat the discriminatory impacts on voters of color, the report offers the recommendation that states require that employees have time to vote without penalty or loss of wages. The report found that while thirty states require employers to allow their employees time off to vote on Election Day, the vast majority of the states that require leave for voting cap the time requirement at one, two, or three hours. These caps are problematic because voters must often stand in line for far longer, forcing them to choose between their income and exercising their right to vote. Additionally, six states require employers to allow leave, but require that the leave is unpaid.

“Making voting accessible and equitable is a racial justice issue. Significant numbers of people continue to vote in person on Election Day, and while our nation has progressed beyond the overt racism of poll taxes and literacy tests, a persistent barrier has been long lines to vote and the so-called ‘time tax,’ which continues to disenfranchise people of color. Our report hopes to shed light on this disparity and suggest viable solutions to make voting fairer for all Americans.”

— Adam Fernandez, L4GG’s Vice President of Policy and Strategic Engagement

“In order to uphold the tenets of our democracy, it needs to work for everyone. To do that, we recommend policy changes that guarantee that all workers will have the necessary amount of time to leave work to vote without penalty or loss of pay. Our suggestions also provide an explicit private right of action to hold employers accountable if they violate the policy. In this way, we hope to see a new day for racial equity in voting, and the strengthening of our democracy.”

— Joe Spielberger, L4GG's Legislative Counsel on Policy and Strategic Engagement

L4GG - Response to Eviction Crisis

On August 30, 2021, Attorney General Merrick Garland issued a call to action for the legal community, urging that we each step up to help address the looming housing and evictions crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Lawyers for Good Government community of attorneys, law firms, in-house legal departments, and non-profit partners is committed to supporting this effort.

Letter from Attorney General Merrick Garland:

Over three million households are behind on rental payments and could be evicted over the next few months. Renters in the US are disproportionately people of color, and the coming eviction crisis is one that will disproportionately harm underrepresented communities. While the federal government has supplied Emergency Rental Assistance to help keep renters in their homes, only 11 percent of that rental assistance has been used. 

If you are an attorney or law student who would like to learn more about opportunities to help keep families in their homes, please fill out this very brief form to sign up for SMS and email alerts from L4GG:

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“The legal profession is well positioned to provide support for tenants, landlords, and courts during this crisis. Promoting access to justice to ensure that our justice system delivers outcomes that are fair and accessible to all, irrespective of wealth or status, is one of the highest ideals of the legal profession. ”

— Attorney General Merrick Garland

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Take a Stand Against Anti-Asian Violence and Systemic Racism

We at Lawyers for Good Government stand united with the Asian American community in the fight against systemic racism and gender-based violence. We grieve with the families of the eight people, including six Asian women, who were killed at spas in North Georgia, and we call on the L4GG community to take a stand in support of the Asian American community. We must center the needs of those most directly impacted while denouncing misogyny, white supremacy, and systemic racism in all its forms.

Action 1: Add Your Name to this Letter from Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Stand in solidarity to denounce the misogyny, white supremacy, and systemic racism that motivate violence against Asian American communities and other communities of color.

Note: We’ve signed on to this letter as an organization and we encourage you to add your name to the individual sign-on.

Additionally, the deadly shooting in Georgia has solidified for us why we need experienced civil rights leaders like Vanita Gupta and Kristen Clarke at the Department of Justice as soon as possible. Last week’s confirmation hearing for Vanita Gupta was contentious, andjust this morning, Senator Cornyn (R-TX) used language calling Gupta potentially “the most dangerous nominee.”

The Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to move on Gupta’s nomination next week. Kristen Clarke’s hearing has not yet been scheduled.We must keep up the pressure so that the Senate knows we are behind these nominees.

ACTION 2: Make sure you, your family, and your friends have signed our letter of support for Gupta and Clarke here. We’ll be sending it to the Senate once again before Clarke’s hearing.

ACTION 3: Make sure you're set to receive SMS alerts about this confirmation fight and other actions by texting 404-382-9644.

Thank you all for your work and support so far.

With warm regards,

Traci

Traci Feit Love
President & Executive Director
Lawyers for Good Government

How to Protect Democracy & The Rule of Law

There are two things every person who cares about democracy and the rule of law should be focused on right now: strengthening our democracy through voting rights, and healing our country from the scourge of white supremacy.

Here’s how you can get involved.

CIVIL RIGHTS/ Vanita Gupta & Kristen Clarke: The nominations of Vanita Gupta and Kristen Clarke to the DOJ are historic for our nation. If we want to heal our country from the scourge of white supremacy, we need people who have devoted their lives to fighting injustice leading the way. More than 1,300 of you have joined our letter supporting their nominations, but we need each and every one of you to stand up in this moment.

ACTION 1: Join our letter supporting Gupta and Clarke and share with your family and friends.

ACTION 2: Join today’s Digital Day of Action to #ConfirmClarkeandGupta between 1-2pm ET. Click here to access the digital toolkit.

VOTING RIGHTS/ For the People Act: Right now, we have a real chance to rescue our democracy and reshape our country by passing the HR1, the For the People Act, the most sweeping democracy bill in a generation. If enacted, The For the People Act will:

1. Protect and strengthen our sacred right to vote, especially in Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities.

2. Combat corruption by passing pro-ethics measures to clean up our government.

3. End the dominance of big money in politics so the people's voice can be heard.

The For the People Act is likely to come to the House for a vote THIS WEEK.

ACTION 3: Call Your Member of Congress now at 1-888-246-5947 to urge them to pass the For the People Act today.

Thank you in advance for your collective work on these issues. I’m grateful to have you in this fight with me.

Traci

Traci Feit Love
President & Executive Director
Lawyers for Good Government

Help us Protect Civil Rights, Welcome Asylum Seekers, & Promote Environmental Justice

This week, you can: 1) help repair the damage of the Trump administration by joining our sign-on supporting two civil rights leaders nominated to serve in Biden’s DOJ; 2) welcome asylum seekers who have been stuck living in camping tents in Mexico for months or even years by supporting Project Corazon; and 3) volunteer to establish a right to water in Michigan or enforce treaty rights to natural resources in Wisconsin. Highlighted bullets indicate an action you can take now.

1. Support Civil Rights Nominees to the DOJ: Today, during Merrick Garland’s confirmation hearing, Senator Mike Lee made contemptible and disingenuous attacks against civil rights leaders Vanita Gupta and Kristen Clarke. We’ve seen these kinds of attacks on civil rights leaders during nominations fights before, and it’s why we are doubling down on our efforts to support the nominations of Vanita Gupta and Kristen Clarke. More than 900 of you have already signed our support letter that we will send to the US Senate Judiciary Committee before their confirmation hearings. It’s imperative that our community indicate collective support for these civil rights leaders now.

   • Join our sign-on letter here. Please share with friends, colleagues, and family members as well.

   • Read a Twitter thread from Adam Fernandez, our VP of Policy, explaining the historical significance of these nominations and the importance of joining our sign-on letter.
     
     

2. Welcome Asylum Seekers: Friday was the first day of new registrations and processing for asylum seekers in the MPP program. Families who have been waiting months or even years, stuck living in camping tents after being abandoned on the streets of Mexican border cities like Matamoros and Tijuana, are finally getting a chance at safety. Our team is on the ground in Matamoros providing support for registering in the system and advocating for the most vulnerable asylum seekers, those with medical conditions or disabilities, for example, to be admitted as soon as possible.

   • Listen to Charlene D’Cruz on NPR’s Here and Now.

   • Watch a video update from the border.

   • Directly support our efforts by donating here.
     
     

3. Help Establish a Right to Water in Michigan and Enforce Tribal Treaty Rights in Wisconsin: L4GG is embarking on two new environmental justice efforts where we need pro bono volunteers.

   • First, we’re working with community groups in Michigan to help establish a right to water, and need attorneys (experienced FOIA attorneys and Michigan-licensed attorneys preferred) to conduct research into affordability of water in the metro Detroit area and implementation of the lead and copper rule throughout the state.

   • Second, we’re partnering with the Midwest Environmental Associates and the Ojibwe tribes in Wisconsin to help enforce treaty rights under the USSC Culverts case. We need pro bono support to conduct case law research and prepare a legal memorandum.

   • If you have the requisite experience and are interested in volunteering for either of these efforts, please email Jillian Blanchard, Director of L4GG’s Climate Change Program at climatechange@L4GG.org. Note: L4GG Foundation cannot provide malpractice insurance for these matters.

With gratitude,

Traci

Traci Feit Love
Founder & President
Lawyers for Good Government Foundation

Victory: CBP admitted our clients to safety

Deaf and unable to communicate in standard sign language, Andres arrived in Brownsville in March 2020 fleeing persecution in his home country of El Salvador. He had traveled to the U.S. with his sister Alessandra and his 1-year-old niece. With Andres’ disability, Alessandra is the only person in the world with whom he can converse.

Andres, Alessandra, and baby Maria* were detained by ICE for over a week before being placed into the “Migrant Protection Protocols” program and unceremoniously dumped onto the streets of Matamoros. They were not given any food, water, or services from the American or Mexican governments. They were simply told to wait until the US was ready to hear their asylum claim. So they joined the thousands of others waiting for months and even years in the refugee camp in Matamoros.

Click here to donate to help the thousands of asylum seekers waiting in Matamoros.

Fearing for his safety due to his disability, Andrews never left the Matamoros encampment. The past 11 months living in a tent with a toddler and only his sister to communicate with has been hard, to say the least.

Last week, L4GG’s Project Corazon filed a parole request for Andres and his family, advocating with Customs and Border Patrol for his immediate release into the US.

Late Friday night, our request was granted.

Project Corazon Director Charlene D’Cruz and coordinator Karla Rosario rushed to the border to receive Andres, Alessandra, and Maria and welcome them into the United States. They took them to HEB for a fresh meal and thanks to generous donors, we were able to put them in a hotel for the night and pay for their transportation. Andres, Alessandra, and Maria are now in Oklahoma with their family, where they’ll wait until their asylum claim is heard.

We are so thrilled at the outcome of Andres’ case, an outcome that couldn’t have happened without the help of our industrious volunteers and our generous donors.

We are currently working to request humanitarian parole for the most vulnerable of the asylum seekers in our system, and hope to have new success stories to share.

If you’d like to enable us to help future clients like Andres, please donate to support our programs directly. Hotels in Brownsville cost an average of $96 a night and flights an average of $305.

Can you donate $96 or $305 to us today?

Note, if you can’t support us financially, we also appreciate pledges of miles to our travel fund.

With gratitude,

Traci

Traci Feit Love

Founder & President
Lawyers for Good Government Foundation

*Pseudonyms used to protect the identities of our clients.