Category: Staff Blog

NCLEJ Opposes Work Requirements For Public Benefits Programs 

As a condition for agreeing to raise the debt ceiling, Republican lawmakers in Congress are demanding tougher work requirements for federal aid programs, including Medicaid and SNAP. We believe this is a dramatic step in the wrong direction.  …

Read More →

NCLEJ Statement on the Killing of Jordan Neely 

Last week, Jordan Neely was choked to death on the New York City subway. To date, there has been no evidence that Mr. Neely harmed or threatened anyone. He was homeless, hungry, and thirsty. Like too many others, Mr. Neely…

Read More →

NCLEJ Mourns the Loss of Disability Rights Advocate and Board Member Nancy Lieberman 

We are deeply saddened to learn of the loss of former NCLEJ Board Member Nancy Lieberman. A staunch advocate for people with disabilities, she co-founded New Yorkers to Cure Paralysis, and twice succeeded in reinstating state funds for…

Read More →

Drivers with Suspended Licenses in Oregon Need Debt Relief

By Claudia Wilner, Director of Litigation and Advocacy 11 million people across the U.S. are prohibited from driving because they can’t afford to pay fines and fees. Most of those drivers are people of color. In Oregon, Black…

Read More →

Mayor Adams’ Forcible Removal Order Flies in the Face of Disability Justice

By Sara Lunden, Columbia Law School Public Interest Fellow, & Jordan Berger, Skadden Fellow On Tuesday, November 29, New York City Mayor Eric Adams directed NYPD, FDNY-EMS, and mobile crisis teams to increase the use of involuntary transport…

Read More →

Poverty Programs Work When They Address Needs

by Dennis Parker, Saima Akhtar, and Sara Lunden A recent New York Times article, “How Poverty Programs Aided Children From One Generation to the Next,” looks in-depth at benefits programs in the U.S through the experiences of several…

Read More →

The US should seize the opportunity for global leadership on racial justice

Senior Attorney Anjana Malhotra co-authored an op-ed about opportunities the Biden administration has to significantly improve U.S. compliance with a racial discrimination treaty through enacting reparations, criminal justice and immigration policies. Read excerpts below and the full article…

Read More →

Twenty-two States Are Trying to Deny Free School Lunch to LGBTQ Students 

By Saima Akhtar, Senior Attorney, and Katharine Deabler, Staff Attorney The tide is rising high this year of far-right attacks on LGBTQ youth. And the multi-pronged strategies to win a right to discriminate against young LGBTQ people are…

Read More →