June 2017 | Washington Lawyers' Committee eNewsletter
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Dear Friend of the Washington Lawyers' Committee,

The 2017 Wiley A. Branton Lunch was a success. Thank you to everyone who attended and to all of our generous supporters.

As Congressman John Lewis, in his rousing speech, enjoined – in times of injustice one needs to “get in the way and make good trouble.” At the Washington Lawyers’ Committee, we are proud of the good trouble we make. Please read below about what has been happening at the Committee over the last month.

Next year, the Committee will be 50 years old. We want each and every one of you to celebrate with us. Stay tuned.

Jonathan Smith
Executive Director, Washington Lawyers' Committee
If you or someone you know has experienced any act of hate or bias because of their race, gender, national origin, religion, or disability, the Washington Lawyers’ Committee is ready to help. Please contact us at ReportHate@washlaw.org.
2017 Wiley A. Branton Luncheon
Wiley Branton Luncheon

At the 2017 Wiley A. Branton Awards Luncheon, on Wednesday, June 7, the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs celebrated achievements of the past year and focused attention on the civil rights, anti-poverty, and equal justice advocacy work that must be addressed in the year ahead.

Civil rights icon and U.S. House Representative John Lewis presented the Branton Award to former Attorney General Eric J. Holder, Jr. for his career of service to the cause of civil rights, equal justice, and “good trouble.” Accepting the award, Mr. Holder noted that this is an “extraordinary time to be a lawyer, especially a civil rights lawyer,” and that there is much work to be done to protect the rule of law. He shared his optimism as he encouraged the young lawyers in the audience not to sit on the sidelines and wait to be asked to be an advocate for civil rights but advised that, “Dr. King said the arc of the universe bends toward justice. But only when people pull it towards justice.”  More...
Prisoner Class Action Alleging
Unconstitutional Isolation Practices
Lewisburg
At the U.S. Penitentiary in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, mentally ill prisoners are unconstitutionally denied basic mental health care. Instead, men with serious mental illness are locked in isolation for 23 or more hours per day, and many are “double-celled” with other mentally ill men in cells so small that two people cannot stand in them at the same time. Counselors interact with mentally ill prisoners for no more than a minute or two a week, and most often only through cell doors and in the presence of other inmates. Some prisoners have had medication denied to them as punishment. Instead of treatment, the men receive only a small packet of word games, coloring pages copied from the internet, and Sudoku puzzles. The consequences of the BOP’s deliberate indifference to the proper diagnosis and treatment of men with serious mental illness are shocking. Suicide attempts are common; many have been successful.

In June, the Washington Lawyers’ Committee and Latham & Watkins LLP filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of all mentally ill prisoners at USP Lewisburg against the federal Bureau of Prisons and several of its top officials with responsibility for the operation of the prison.
Committee Leaders: Joe Edmonson &
Maureen Donahue Hardwick
This year’s Branton Luncheon was a success in large part thanks to our Luncheon Steering Committee, Co-Chaired by Foley & Lardner LLP’s Joe Edmonson and Maureen Donahue Hardwick of Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP. We asked them why they support the Washington Lawyers’ Committee, and what advice they’d give to lawyers at the beginning of their careers--

Joe Edmonson: The partnerships that Committee staff form with pro bono co-counsel in law firms…are a "force multiplier" that allow the Committee to have amazing impact on the most important equal justice issues we face. Stoke your passion for every case and you can truly change lives!

Maureen Donahue Hardwick: As lawyers, we have many demands on our time and energy. Doing pro bono work that energizes you and feeds your soul is essential. It can also present a wonderful opportunity to collaborate with lawyers outside your practice area and expand your professional community.
Staff Spotlight: Catherine Cone,
Fair Housing Staff Attorney
“Families should have a choice to live in the neighborhoods and properties where they wish to live rather than where they are required to live as a result of discriminatory policies and practices.” That’s why Committee Fair Housing Staff Attorney Catherine Cone works every day to promote and protect inclusive communities.
Read on about Catherine’s advocacy work, her clients, and life in DC.
More June News
  • BREAKING: Washington Lawyers’ Committee and Relman Dane & Colfax, PLLC represent Equal Rights Center in lawsuit against Uber for providing services that are inaccessible to wheelchair riders.
  • The Associates Campaign raised $122,614!! Our sincere appreciation to everyone who participated, especially to category winners WilmerHale, O’Melveny & Myers, Sullivan & Cromwell, Covington & Burling, and these leading firms.
  • Drinker Biddle pro bono counsel Lee Petro cited in WaPo editorial and appeared on the podcast Pod Save the People condemning prison phone rates.
  • We are suing landlord Sanford Capital for illegally refusing to lease apartments to residents who rely on temporary rental subsidies, including veterans and their families.
  • Jonathan Smith explains how leaving a noose inside the National Museum of African American History and Culture is a terrorist act and a federal crime.
  • APKS senior counsel Peter Grossi will receive the DC Circuit Court’s Daniel M. Gribbon Pro Bono Advocacy Award for his advocacy in our Chipotle pregnancy discrimination litigation.
  • Our Brookland Manor tenants are seeking to certify a class action.
  • Evelyn Nunez participated in a panel highlighting the work being done to uphold and strengthen the DC Language Access Act that would stand to better guarantee equitable access to important government benefits and resources for the close to 35,000 residents of D.C. who speak limited or no English.
  • And in case you missed it: Jon Smith discussed racialized profiting by Ferguson’s police department and municipal courts at the National Consortium on Racial and Ethnic Fairness in the Courts on May 16.
Fight Injustice & Inequality with WLC: Volunteer and Pro Bono Opportunities
Workers' Rights Clinic July Schedule
Interested in becoming a Clinic volunteer? Fill out this form. Email Rebecca Davis for more information about Clinic.
  • Wednesdays, July 5, 12, 19, and 26, from 6–9 p.m., at Bread for the City, 1525 Seventh Street NW
  • Fridays, July 7 and 21, from 12–4 p.m. at the Neighborhood Legal Services Program office at 2811 Pennsylvania Avenue SE
  • Saturday, July 29, from 10 a.m.–1 p.m., at Bread for the City, 1640 Good Hope Road SE
Note, the Workers' Rights Clinic will be closed during the month of August. 
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