U.S. Representative Nadler (D-NY) introduced this bill in Congress on 7/19/21, with bipartisan co-sponsors. The bill has been referred to the Judiciary Committee. You can track its progress from Congress dot gov:
H.R.4501 (2021): To provide for the establishment of the Office for Access to Justice in the Department of Justice, and for other purposes.
Action: 7/19/2021 Introduced and then Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary
Excerpt: “By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and in order to increase meaningful access to our legal system and an array of Federal programs, it is hereby ordered as follows: ….” [Link to the Memorandum at the Whitehouse website or Briefing Room or at the Federal Register (and eventually the CFR) website.]
Legal Research Tips: Researching Administrative Law: Federal and State
Comedian Hasan Minhaj put up the website dontgetkickedout.com [link removed, website is no longer functional] to help renters / tenants struggling during the pandemic. This site has links to sites that help renters see if their building qualifies for the federal eviction moratorium, review state eviction protections during COVID-19, and locate legal aid services in their state. This comes from the May 18 episode of Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj, which explores the looming rent crises from COVID-19 and the challenges tenants face in the legal system.
[Update: see I’m Having Issues with my Landlord, What can I do? for Oregon resources]
From the Law Librarians & Access to Justice Blog:
“The Law of Prison Law Libraries,” Lewis C. Zimmerman, 2/12/18, AALL SR-SIS
The LISP/SR BLOG: Law Librarians & Access to Justice (Legal Information Service to the Public and Social Responsibilities, Special Interest Sections of the American Association of Law Libraries.)
“Measuring Online Legal Resources: A Framework Inspired by the Drake Equation”
February 2018
Laura Quinn, Laura Quinn Consulting
TED Talk: “How to Put the Power of Law in People’s Hands”
Summary:
“What can you do when the wheels of justice don’t turn fast enough? Or when they don’t turn at all? Vivek Maru is working to transform the relationship between people and law, turning law from an abstraction or threat into something that everyone can understand, use and shape. Instead of relying solely on lawyers, Maru started a global network of community paralegals, or barefoot lawyers, who serve in their own communities and break the law down into simple terms to help people find solutions….” [Link to Vivek Maru’s TED Talk Reading List, and link to more TED Talks on justice, law, and crime.]
New public law librarians (MLS & MLS/JD) and new public law library employees usually have to tackle questions of Unauthorized Practice of Law (UPL) and the dreaded “Forms” questions very early in their employment (or careers, if they are in it for the long haul*).
(Non-Oregon new public law library employees reading this blog post can locate similar resources within their own state’s public law librarian world.)
FIRST AND FOREMOST:
We can “vote” 365 days of the year, not just on election days, at least as long as our U.S. Constitution remains intact:
Every Day is “Call Government Switchboard Day” or “Talk to Your Elected Representatives Day”:
Congress (use this one for contact info and this one for Congressional activities and documents), or:
Oregon women and their families walk and speak out to protect all our Oregon and U.S. Constitutional rights: Womens March in Oregon
The Self-Represented Litigation Network (SRLN) is an organization for Access-to-Justice (A2J) professionals, lawyers, judges, law librarians, law professors, law students, and others who believe that everyone has a right to free or affordable legal assistance and access to courts.
The “2017 SRLN Conference will be held February 23 -24, 2017 at the California Judicial Council building in San Francisco.”
The Self-Represented Litigation Network (SRLN) is “establishing a permanent Conferences Committee as part of the Strategy and Outreach Working Group….” Locate SRLN members where you work to find out how you can contribute.
Oregon Legal Research Blog