New York Times Echoes Call to Lift LSC Restrictions

June 23, 2009

A June 23rd New York Times editorial echoes the need to remove obstacles to justice for the poor, and calls upon Senator Barbara Mikulski's Appropriations subcommittee to address unnecessary restrictions left behind in the House version of the Legal Services Corporation budget.

The House bill would increase federal dollars for legal services to
$440 million, up from $390 million for the current fiscal year. It also
removes a restriction that disadvantages impoverished victims of fraud
by barring attorneys paid by legal services from claiming or collecting
attorneys’ fees from opposing parties.

However, the House bill retains two other hurtful rules targeted by Mr. Obama. The first
prevents legal services clients from participating in class action
lawsuits that can be an efficient way to obtain broad relief for
problems affecting a large number of people.

The second rule extends all the restrictions on federal money to the substantial money
that legal services providers receive from other sources, like private
foundations and state and local government. In New Jersey, for example,
where only 13 percent of the financing for legal services programs
comes from Washington, the federal restrictions dictate how the other
87 percent may be spent. The only thing accomplished by such federal
overreach is to narrow poor people’s access to justice.

The matter now moves to a Senate subcommittee led by Senator Barbara
Mikulski, Democrat of Maryland. By making sure that the Senate version
of the bill lifts all three restrictions, per President Obama’s
request, Senator Mikulski and her colleagues can usefully support the
cause of equal justice.

Read the full New York Times editorial by clicking here

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