Opportunity Under Law

Opportunity is not a privilege of class or birth or dependent upon the generosity of others. It is the American birthright. Public Counsel Opportunity Under Law combats economic injustice in all its forms through litigation and other means. Read More

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A Shared Mission to Make the Literacy Crisis Infamous Last year we filed a class action on behalf of Detroit students to confirm the right of universal access to literacy. Recently we partnered with the creative agency, Enso, to “spark a cultural fire” to support our literacy campaign.
Major Court Victory in Landmark Lawsuit Asserting the Educational Rights of Native American Students The court ruled, for the first time in the nation, that the federal government must meet the educational needs of Native American students attending schools run by the federal Bureau of Indian Education by affirmatively addressing the mental health and wellness needs of students impacted by trauma and childhood adversity.
Federal Judge Blocks Trump Administration's Efforts to Shut Down the DACA Program The ruling was in response to five separate lawsuits over the DACA termination – including the “Dreamers Case”, brought by six DACA recipients who filed suit against the government for failing to keep its promises on DACA. This is the only lawsuit brought by DACA recipients themselves to challenge the Trump Administration’s decision to end DACA.
Brar v. Heritage Oak As a state and as a country, we decided long ago that private places of public accommodation should not be able to discriminate - not based on race, not based on ability and not based on gender - and that every person should be treated with equal dignity and respect.
Detroit Public School Students Sue the State of Michigan for Violating their Constitutional Right to Literacy Lawsuit is unprecedented and aims to confirm a fundamental federal constitutional right to literacy that could help efforts to improve education provided to students in school districts throughout the country
Havasupai Students Sue the U.S. Government for Failure to Provide Equal Educational Opportunity The suit is the first federal civil rights action ever filed to address a wholesale denial of educational opportunities for both the general education and special education of Native American students.
'Being A Woman Is Not A Pre-Existing Condition' - Class Action Suit Challenges Systemic Gender Discrimination in CA Workers' Comp Statewide system relies on outdated stereotypes about women's capacities and roles, contributing to the feminization of poverty in California and burdening women and families
Public Counsel Fights Expansion of School-to-Prison Pipeline in New Mexico The facts of the case are outrageous: a middle school student was arrested and handcuffed for fake burping and laughing during P.E. class
Historic Ruling In Landmark Complaint On Unique Learning Needs of Children Affected by Trauma In a victory for students and teachers, judge rules case will go forward in lawsuit addressing barrier to academic achievement; demands adoption of proven trauma-informed practices in public schools
Public Counsel Announces New President and CEO Judge Margaret Morrow brings decades of distinguished leadership and service to the helm of nation's largest pro bono law firm
Students Seek Justice in Corinthian Colleges Bankruptcy Get the latest updates on the actions of former Corinthian students representing their interests in the wake of the for-profit college's bankruptcy proceedings.
California Lawyer Recognizes Two Public Counsel Cases with Its 2015 Attorney of the Year Awards California Lawyer magazine announced its 2015 Attorney of the Year awards and recognized two Public Counsel cases that made a difference for thousands of students, families and individuals.
Court Restores High School Students' Lost Learning Time A state judge has ordered that California Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson, the California Department of Education and the State Board of Education must step in to stem the loss of learning time at Jefferson High School in Los Angeles.
Lawsuit: Students at High-Need California Schools Robbed of Learning Time Students attending seven of California's most disadvantaged schools lose days, weeks and months of critical classroom instruction through the course of their academic careers, according to a lawsuit filed by Public Counsel and others.
Los Angeles County Agrees to Comprehensive Reforms to General Relief Program A coalition of advocates for Los Angeles's most vulnerable communities announced a settlement agreement with the County of Los Angeles that will lead to major changes to the General Relief program, pending court approval.
Settlement Delivers on Dream of Stability for Los Angeles Schools Rocked by Budget Cuts Attorneys representing middle-school students who experienced huge teacher turnover due to budget-based layoffs have reached a historic agreement in the Reed v. State of California et al. lawsuit.
Groundbreaking Settlement to Ban Solitary Confinement and Ensure Appropriate Education for Youth in Contra Costa County Juvenile Hall In the wake of growing national concern about the use of solitary confinement for juveniles, this is the first case in the nation to bring such a sweeping end to the use of solitary confinement for young people
Agreement Ends Fair Housing Lawsuit Against Lancaster There's major news from Lancaster: The Community Action League and the California State Conference of the NAACP announced they will move forward with the City of Lancaster to promote fair housing for all Lancaster residents.
LA County Takes Major Step to Combat Section 8 Discrimination in the Antelope Valley A Public Counsel lawsuit last year exposed a frightening fact: For years, black and Latino families who are part of the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program in the cities of Lancaster and Palmdale faced harassment from officials. Now Los Angeles County has approved a breakthrough agreement that that will combat discrimination and help heal the divisions in the community.
LA Times Exposes How California Is Failing Its Farm Workers Public Counsel is working to protect farm workers from heat-related illness. The Los Angeles Times profiles the impact of California's failure to protect some of its hardest-working residents from soaring temperatures and harsh conditions.
Judge Approves Landmark Settlement to Protect Education Rights Superior Court Judge William F. Highberger approved the landmark settlement in Reed v. State of California, et al., a class action suit filed by Public Counsel, the ACLU, and Morrison & Foerster, LLP to address the devastating impact of massive and disproportionate teacher layoffs in schools in economically challenged communities and in communities of color.
Ending the Unjust Punishment of Court Fees
Landmark Civil Rights Settlement on Behalf of English Learners Affirms State of California Must Ensure Schools Provide English Language Instruction State agencies agree to establish watchdog system to ensure schools no longer deny English Language instruction to learners, which make up 1/4 of California students
Statement: Attorneys for Veterans Praise Plan for Homeless Housing at West Los Angeles VA Campus Attorneys who represented homeless veterans in the lawsuit Valentini v. McDonald released this statement in response to the plan released on February 13, 2015, regarding the use of the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center.
Department of Veterans Affairs Reaches Historic Breakthrough Agreement In the Next Step to End Homelessness Among Los Angeles Veterans Today Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert A. McDonald will join attorneys representing homeless veterans in Los Angeles to announce the way forward as VA and community partners work to end homelessness among Veterans in Los Angeles County.
Public Counsel Launches Opportunity Under Law as New Force in Fight for Equality Nationally known civil rights litigators Mark Rosenbaum, Anne Richardson, and Gary Blasi to lead effort to combat economic injustice in all its forms.
Lawsuit Accuses California of Allowing Students at Under-Resourced Schools to Lose Learning Time Statewide class action case says reduced learning time starts in kindergarten and leaves students years behind – and violates the California Constitution

Cruz Fact Sheet Learn more about how the Cruz v. California lawsuit aims to protect students' most basic educational resource: learning time.