April was a busy month for our Public Justice team, from continuing our advocacy efforts around California legislation -- SB 1149, the "Public Right to Know Act" -- to celebrating the latest win in our fight against states' unconstitutional Ag-Gag laws.
Additionally, we're gearing up for our Annual Awards Gala and Celebration, scheduled for Monday, July 18 in Seattle, Washington, where we're looking forward to continuing our 40th Anniversary celebrations with all our friends and supporters. Stay tuned for more details!
In the meantime, we're excited to announce the debut of our full-length video celebrating our 40th Anniversary! Learn more about Public Justice's vibrant history and impact over the last four decades, as told by past presidents, board members, staff, and more. Click the video below to view the full-length feature, which can also be found on our YouTube channel. |
Thank you to all those who helped participate in the making of this video. And stay tuned for more updates honoring our 40 years of impact and change! |
Until next month,
The Public Justice Team
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This month, in a major victory for animals, workers, and transparency in the animal agriculture industry, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to review a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit that struck down Kansas' Ag-Gag law for violating the First Amendment.
Enacted in 1990, the Kansas Ag-Gag law was the oldest in the country, where it made it a crime to engage in activities that are essential to conducting undercover investigations that often reveal the horrific treatment of animals and workers to the public.
We first filed this lawsuit in 2018, on behalf of the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF), the Center for Food Safety (CFS) and state farmed animal organizations Shy 38, Inc. and Hope Sanctuary.
Last August, the Appeals Court upheld the lower court's ruling that Kansas' Ag-Gag law was unconstitutional and violated First Amendment rights to free speech by silencing those who expose the inhumane conditions associated with factory farms that are a matter of public concern. This month's Supreme Court decision leaves that important rule in place.
“The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision not to disturb the lower court decisions is a victory for farmed animals, factory farm and slaughterhouse workers, and food and public safety — as it leaves intact the public’s constitutional rights over protecting corporate interests and profits," says ALDF Executive Director Stephen Wells.
Read the full press release here. To learn more about the Food Project's Ag-Gag litigation, which has filed suits in states including Arkansas, Idaho, North Carolina and Wyoming, visit our webpage here. |
This month, we ramped up our advocacy around legislation in California, the Public Right to Know Act (SB 1149), which was introduced in the California Senate by Senator Connie Leyva in February and would protect Californians' access to information about dangerous public hazards that are discovered during litigation.
From products like birth control to car tires and seatbacks, courts have sealed life-saving information regarding details in which these billion-dollar manufacturers knew their products were defective yet kept them on the market. SB 1149 would put an end to this deadly practice.
We are proud co-sponsors of the bill along with Consumer Reports, as part of our longstanding efforts to ensure a transparent and fair justice system by ending court secrecy.
In order to bring more attention to the bill, we recently launched a new court secrecy webpage, which includes more information about SB 1149, as well as resources on the far-reaching impact of court secrecy that lays out why this bill is critical. |
Save the date! Last month, we announced that our 40th Anniversary Gala and Awards Celebration will be held at the Four Seasons Hotel Seattle on Monday, July 18.
Stay tuned for more information on sponsorship opportunities, this year's Trial Lawyer of the Year finalists, our 2022 Champion of Justice, and more!
For sponsorship details, click here. If you have any questions, please reach out to Susan Gombert, Senior Meetings & Events Manager.
We hope to see you there!
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VICTORY IN TEXAS DRONES CASE |
Late last month, we celebrated a victory in our suit challenging a series of Texas statues that created criminal and civil penalties for journalists using drones to capture images.
On March 29, a Texas district court struck down the Texas law, ruling that the laws were unconstitutional, and that photography to produce journalism is protected by the First Amendment.
We partnered with the Yale Media Freedom and Information Access Clinic and Jim Hemphill of Graves Dougherty to represent the National Press Photographers Association (NPPA), whose members rely on drones to safely report on various newsworthy activities. To learn more, visit NPPA's website.
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NACA SUBMITS COMMENTS TO CFPB |
This month, our allies at the National Association of Consumer Advocates (NACA) submitted comments to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) in response to it asking for comments on junk fees in consumer financial services.
In addition to discussing the issue of junk fees, NACA also argues that CFPB must also limit forced arbitration using its power under the Dodd-Frank to be most effective.
"In these comments we ask the CFPB to consider, in this context, another systemic practice - widespread use of forced arbitration clauses and prohibitions on participation in class actions – that has affected the public’s ability to hold regulated financial entities’ accountable for predatory and systemic use of junk fees," writes NACA. View the comments here.
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DESIGNATE PUBLIC JUSTICE FOR A
CY PRES AWARD!
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Public Justice is an ideal candidate for cy pres. We put cy pres awards to work by engaging in national communications campaigns to expose predatory practices, educating those harmed by injustice and their attorneys, and pursuing high-impact litigation to effect systemic change for consumers, workers, students, the environment, and more.
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Join us in congratulating our very own Director of Finance and Administration Vicky Ni, who will be honored at the National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA)'s 2022 Gala this summer for her role in advancing workplace justice.
We're so proud of Vicky for this well-deserved honor and continue to be so fortunate to have her on our team. Congratulations, Vicky! Learn more about this honor here.
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Public Justice welcomes this month's new members — your unwavering commitment to our mission to combat injustice helps us reach our goals.
Questions? Contact us here.
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