Sharon McGowan

When the Government Stops Defending Civil Rights The Department of Education’s abandonment of traditional civil-rights litigation has effectively transported parents back in time, to the era before the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

Terrific new article from @thenewyorker.bsky.social about all of the harm being done to students and families by the gutting of the Dept of Ed's OCR work, and how orgs like @publicjustice.bsky.social are responding to this national crisis.

www.newyorker.com/news/the-led...

Children Sue to Restore Contact Visits in the Adams County Jail, Asserting Their Right to Hug Their Parents | Public Justice The lawsuit challenges a conspiracy between Adams County and HomeWAV to profit off of the elimination of contact visits.

BREAKING: Yesterday, we filed a lawsuit demanding that the Adams County, Colorado Jail bring back in-person visits with physical contact and stop profiting off of the separation of families who just want to be able to hug each other.

read more: bit.ly/4nrJ7vG

Jury awards $42.75M in ‘Jailed to Death’ case first exposed by WFAA A jury has ordered LaSalle Corrections, one of the nation’s largest private jail operators, to pay $42.75 million in death of Louisiana man.

So proud of all of the advocates (including my @publicjustice.bsky.social colleague Leslie Bailey and PJ alum Leslie Brueckner) who fought for and with this brave family, who transformed their pain and grief into a righteous demand for justice and accountability.

www.wfaa.com/article/news...

VonDeylen v. Aptive Environmental, LLC | Public Justice Ms. VonDeylen sued Aptive, bringing class claims for invasion of privacy and negligent and willful violations of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act.

TOMORROW (10/23) at 9 AM CDT Attorney Hannah Kieschnick is presenting oral argument to the 8th Circuit in VonDeylen v. Aptive Environmental LLC! To call in, dial 1-571-353-2301 with access code 74437841. Learn more about the case here: www.publicjustice.net/case_brief/v...

Jury awards $5M to Delbarton grad who accused monk of 1976 sexual abuse - Morristown Green A landmark Delbarton verdict is hailed as victory for survivors of clergy abuse.

A vindicating and historic verdict in NJ this week not just for this brave man but for far too many sexual assault survivors of the RC Church. Proud of the work of @publicjustice.bsky.social board member Rayna Kessler on this case and so happy for her client.

morristowngreen.com/2025/10/08/j...

Interior of a WMATA train. Near the exit doors, above the blue accessible seats is a ProPublica ad that reads "Someone on this train has the next big story. Is it you? Signal: 917-512-0201. propublica.org/tips." The poster's illustration features a Black woman wearing business attire, standing while holding on to a guardrail. Next to her is a seated white man in a button-down shirt. He wears his backpack and is looking down intently at his phone.

Close-up of a D.C. metro ad. Tagline reads: "There are thousands of federal staffers with stories to tell. Share yours. Signal: 917-512-0201. propublica.org/tips." Background illustration shows a man in a dark suit standing on an escalator that's heading out of the metro station, holding his phone out as he looks back.

Red line. Orange line. Tips line.

#ICYMI, you can now catch ProPublica’s tips line on the DC metro 🚆

Federal workers and contractors: We want to hear from you. You can reach us at https://propublica.org/tips or 917-512-0201 on Signal.

Great explainer/resources
from @publicjustice.bsky.social and allies about Trump’s illegal immigration fines.

noimmigrationfines.org

Episode 2: How Private Antitrust Enforcers are Protecting Consumers

🎧 Check out Episode 2 of "In Competition We Trust"!

@progressivepolicy.org's Diana Moss and Greg Asciolla from @wolfturndefender.bsky.social discuss the need for stronger private antitrust enforcement for competition and consumer protection against price-fixing.

👉 Listen here: tinyurl.com/2u2w9f9m

Youth, scientists, argue for court to halt Trump executive orders unleashing fossil fuel industry MISSOULA — For the second time in two years a youth-led lawsuit challenging the government’s role in climate change is seeing the inside of a Montana courtroom — this time with more plaintiffs and Dem...

As someone who was in the courtroom, I can attest that this is some spot-on coverage of the historic hearing held today in Missoula, MT in Lighthiser v Trump. A treat to watch my Public Justice colleagues, OCT partners and our amazing co-counsel in action!

www.newsfromthestates.com/article/yout...

BREAKING: The Supreme Court just denied South Carolina’s shameful attempt to bar our client from using restrooms that align with his gender identity. This is a HUGE victory for trans students, trans communities, and civil rights nationwide.

Thrilled and relieved to report that SCOTUS has rejected South Carolina's claim that one trans HS boy using the right restroom is an "emergency" requiring the Court's intervention.

So happy for our client, and proud of the @publicjustice.bsky.social team!

www.usatoday.com/story/news/p...

The Supreme Court Just Let ICE Detain Americans Based on Race Indiscriminate immigration raids will expand across the country with the implicit blessing of the conservative supermajority.

Sotomayor: “We should not have to live in a country where the government can seize anyone who looks Latino, speaks Spanish, and appears to work a low wage job.”

But we do. Because the Supreme Court traded the Fourth Amendment for the MAGA Constitution.
slate.com/news-and-pol...

It doesn’t matter if you feed your kids organic foods, MAHA moms.

It doesn’t matter if you lift every day, bro.

It doesn’t matter how many supplements you consume.

When polio, diphtheria, measles, mumps, and whooping cough come a calling, all that matters is if you are vaccinated or not.

And I would never want to get between Ted and a trip to Cancun when there’s an emergency in Texas

Our youth need you with them! Join us and @publicjustice.bsky.social in cheering on the Lighthiser v. Trump youth and filling the courthouse on September 16 & 17 at 7:15am in Missoula, MT ✊🌎RSVP: bit.ly/lvt-hearing1 Amplify using the toolkit: bit.ly/lvthearing-toolkit #YouthvTrump

This kind of collusion & manipulation of our legal system to nullify longstanding duly-enacted laws is yet another grave threat to democracy. While we couldn’t stop this preordained outcome, @publicjustice.bsky.social wasn’t just going to sit by and let it happen. TY Chris for lifting this up.

BREAKING: South Carolina has asked the Supreme Court for a permission slip to take away our client’s right to use the boys’ restrooms at school. Ninth grade is hard enough as is without state-mandated discrimination. The Supreme Court should deny South Carolina’s request.

Our youth need you with them! Join us and
@ouryouth123.bsky.social
in cheering on the Lighthiser v. Trump youth and filling the courthouse on September 16 & 17 at 7:15am in Missoula, MT ✊🌎RSVP: bit.ly/lvt-hearing1 Amplify using the toolkit: bit.ly/lvthearing-toolkit #YouthvTrump

This is endlessly frustrating about current activism. Disabled people are INCREDIBLE organizers and have fought for successful change for generations. And yet these days y’all leave us out of your activism and refuse to create accessible spaces.

But look at what actual solidarity can accomplish:

🎯

"The West Virginia Rivers Coalition [(represented by @publicjustice.bsky.social )] asked [Judge] Goodwin in February to require the former DuPont, now Chemours, Washington Works facility to immediately comply with its permit limits after violating it for more than five years."

(Me: 5 YEARS!!)

“Those pollutants endanger the environment, aquatic life, and human health,” U.S. District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin wrote in the order. “Today, that unlawful, unpermitted discharge stops.”

{Boom!} /3

Excerpt from this great news article:

A federal judge ordered the Chemours Chemical Company on Thursday to immediately stop discharging unlawful levels of cancer-causing chemicals into the Ohio River from the company’s Washington Works plant in West Virginia. /2

Chemours must immediately stop unlawfully polluting Ohio River, federal judge orders A federal judge ordered the Chemours Chemical Company on Thursday to immediately stop discharging unlawful levels of cancer-causing chemicals into the Ohio River from the company’s Washington Works pl...

Esp since the feds are basically out of the business of protecting public health and safety, I'm so proud of my team here at Public Justice & excited about our latest win against one of the biggest corporate pollution menaces in history, Chemours (aka Dupont).
www.newsandsentinel.com/news/busines...

We Can Save Public Radio and Television Viewers and listeners like us.

"No matter where I lived, I knew this was guaranteed because after moving into a new place, we’d plug in our old box television, adjust the shitty little antenna just so, and voila, like magic, there was PBS. It was free."

So, we're all pretty much agreed that CBS cancelled The Late Show because Mr. Colbert calls out Trump's bullshit, right?

Good and good for you! Didn’t need the cart but felt the joy of bringing it back to its family. Thank you Charlotte!

Brilliant.

BREAKING: The Supreme Court just greenlit most of the Trump Administration's plan to dismantle the Department of Education BUT there is still an active order requiring the government to reinstate staff at the Office for Civil Rights.

Oral argument in our case Dunn v. Sante Fe is TOMORROW (Wed., July 16th) in the Tenth Circuit at 10 AM MDT/12 PM ET! Kudos to Hannah Kieschnick, @lnicholls.bsky.social, and our friends at Gupta Wessler LLP for their impressive work on this case. You can listen here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjtt...