Pro Bono News

Congress should restore funding to a program that helps ensure 'Justice for All'

Tuesday, June 20, 2017

Congress should restore funding to a program that helps ensure 'Justice for All'

 

"In 2014, during the 40th anniversary of the Legal Services Corporation (LSC), the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia said, "Equality, equal treatment is perhaps the most fundamental element of justice."

Unnoticed by many is the daily struggle many Americans face in handling the costs of legal aid.

Every American is entitled to a free attorney in a criminal matter if they cannot afford one on their own, and most assume that the same applies in civil cases, but that is most certainly not the case.

For many, especially those most vulnerable, meaningful legal aid is unattainable without community organizations and government-funded programs to either provide legal aid for free or to help offset legal costs.

In 2017, Scalia's words are more important than ever, as funding for the federally created LSC, which has seen bipartisan support for decades, has been threatened to be reduced to zero in ongoing federal budget discussions in Washington."

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