Analysis & Commentary
Justice
Wall Street and Their Seductive Loan Promotions Tricked Many on Main Street
Rep. John Conyers Jr. comments on the foreclosure crisis and the subprime lending mess in The Huffington Post. In his blog, he discusses one way he was working to speed Michigan and the country’s recovery: help homeowners get legal representation.
Authored by: Rep. John Conyers Jr., The Huffington Post
– 10/26/09
Give Victims of Foreclosure a Voice in Court
Thought the foreclosure crisis was tapering off? Hardly. Nationwide, nearly 940,000 homes received a default or auction notice or were repossessed by banks in the third quarter of 2009. In New York State, filings were up 11% from the second quarter of 2009 . . . .
Authored by: Melanca Clark, Op-Ed in NY Daily News
– 10/21/09
Obama Administration Refuses to Release Bush-Era OLC Opinion
The Obama Administration has pledged to restore transparency in government. But last week the Brennan Center had to sue for the release of a Bush-era opinion by the Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) . . .
Authored by: Laura Abel, in The Hill's Congress Blog
– 10/20/09
Another Kind of Foreclosure Crisis
The foreclosure crisis is being made substantially worse by a shortage of lawyers for people whose homes are at risk. According to a new study, an overwhelming number of homeowners who face foreclosure do not have legal help in protecting their rights. As a result, people are losing their homes who do not need to . . . .
Authored by: The New York Times, Editorial
– 10/09/09
Working for Their Clients
The Legal Services Corporation was created to help provide essential civil legal services to low-income Americans. In the mid-1990s, the Republican-controlled Congress imposed sweeping and unwarranted restrictions that continue to hamper the work of local legal services offices . . . .
Authored by: The New York Times, Editorial
– 10/08/09
Lack of Legal Help: One More Way the Deck Is Stacked Against Homeowners
As bad as America’s foreclosure crisis is—and it’s very bad, with over 300,000 homes receiving a foreclosure filing every month—it’s being made even more devastating by the lack of legal assistance available to beleaguered homeowners . . . .
Authored by: Arianna Huffington, The Huffington Post
– 10/05/09
Waiting in California
Two innovative bills recently approved by the California Legislature are on Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s desk. One would make the state’s justice system fairer and more efficient. The other would improve public safety. Neither would add to California’s fiscal woes, and both would set a worthy example for the nation . . . .
Authored by: The New York Times, Editorial
– 10/04/09
(Penny) Wise Justice for California
A legislative bill offers a smart, cost-effective way to provide civil case legal counsel to those who can’t afford it . . .
Authored by: The Los Angeles Times, Editorial
– 09/25/09
Amici Request En Banc Review of Standards on Fee-Splitting
Recent federal court decisions establish a ‘virtually insurmountable’ standard for determining fees for out-of-district counsel that will ‘rob some civil rights plaintiffs of the only representation they can find,’ insists a broad coalition of 30 public interest organizations and private law firms . . . .
Authored by: Noeleen G. Walder, The New York Law Journal
– 09/18/09
Abuse Revelations Demand an Inquiry
A piece in the Boston Globe examines the Obama administration's stance towards executive privilege, and the lingering presence of the previous administration.
Authored by: Elizabeth Goitein
– 08/05/09