Boston University chapter of the National Lawyer Guild has been very busy this year. At our general meeting we planned what we wanted to do this last semester.
In addition to hosting the NLG Disorientation event for first year students, we also organized a “Know Your Rights” training for BU students, held a phone bank for Gaza, and our members … Read more>>
We’re having a big organizing committee meeting on Friday, where we will hash out all of our plans to wrap up 2023 and hit the ground running with tangible next steps for 2024 (including ironing out our budget).
I would say the main things to share for I.O.N. this month are:
We’re seeking attorneys, law students, and organizers who are pro-union… Read more>>2023 Retrospective and 2024 Agenda
Mass NLG fought for police accountability through four public records-based projects in 2023—three of which will continue in 2024. The three continuing projects are comprised of two public records issues about notorious Boston protests involving right-wing extremists and wounded citizens, as well as Mass NLG’s broader inquiry into all complaints against the Boston Police … Read more>>
As always, the Mass Chapter of the NLG has had a busy year. With the support of our members, we have achieved several goals and are making progress on others. See details below.
Our active Committees have been continually busy. The Mass Defense Committee volunteer lawyers have provided legal advice to dozens of activist groups and free representation to arrested … Read more>>
Imagine enjoying yourself at a music festival with your friends and comrades, and then cops swarm in and start randomly arresting people without any probable cause. What was the charge – domestic terrorism!
This is what Alex experienced when he went to Atlanta to stand in solidarity with fellow activists and organizers opposing Cop City.
Prior to this gathering of … Read more>>
Since mid-October, the NLG Mass Defense Committee has been working non-stop to assist local political activists, students, health care professionals, and interfaith organizations in providing them with everything they need, so they could continue their fight for ceasefire in Gaza and against the war.
Legal Observers served at over 30 actions related to the war on Gaza and the crisis … Read more>>
DEFENDERS, UNITE!
On Thursday, October 19, the NLG-Mass Chapter’s Mass Defense Committee (MDC) welcomed nearly 40 NLG members and allies – lawyers, legal workers, law students, and activists – to its first ever “Defenders, Unite” social gathering at Beantown Pub in Boston.
The event provided a great opportunity for the MDC members to chat and discuss the Committee’s work with … Read more>>
The NLG-Mass Chapter is among nearly 550 signatories (legal professionals, firms, and organizations) on a call to stop targeting and attacks of Palestine advocates.
Read the Press Release and Full Coalition Letter Here
Palestine Legal continues to receive an unprecedented number of intakes that need referrals, and they especially need attorneys with expertise in employment matters, criminal defense, and civil rights, … Read more>>
October 16, 2023
“It is easy to blur the truth with a simple linguistic trick: start your story from ‘Secondly.’” Mourid Barghouti
This “secondly” hovers over Dean Onwuachi-Willig’s response to the events of the past ten days, isolating these events from the context of over 75 years of brutal settler colonialism. The response denounces the violence of resistance while leaving … Read more>>
NLG students met this past September to plan some exciting projects over brunch! A small group of students and members met at Andala Coffee House in Cambridge to enjoy some food and tea. We discussed some exciting new projects for the next year, brainstormed ways to expand our social media presence, and discussed ways to get more involved with local … Read more>>
In the midst of daily heartbreaking news, we supported several powerful Palestine Solidarity actions this month.
On Monday, 10/9, our Legal Observers served at a rally and vigil in front of Cambridge City Hall, attended by people who are concerned with the decades-long plight of Palestinians.
On Thursday, 10/12, also in Cambridge, several activists chained themselves to the doors of … Read more>>
By Stanley Donald
Senior Law Clerk for Prisoners
Norfolk Inmate Council Unit Representative
On January 10, 2023, the inmates of MCI-Norfolk prison declared Wellpath Medical Services inadequate. The Inmate Council of MCI-Norfolk, who represents the entire inmate population, took a vote and unanimously declared Wellpath provides inadequate medical care.
A survey was conduct and the results were troubling. It was … Read more>>
There are several issues which emerge from prisons in MA such as Lack of Health Care, Mental Health, Substance Use Disease (SUD) Programing, Education and failures in overall behavioral health treatment. The shift to the Executive Office of Public Safety & Security (EOPSS) from Health & Human Services {HHS) ushered in a Culture of Punishment. The attitude and approach of … Read more>>
By Roberto Mendes, W98774
Looking around this room I see so many stories and I want to say that you create greatness just in your presence. Whether it’s the trails and trials of what life ”had been” to the whirlwinds of the “should bes” or the ”what could have beens.”
Just know that they are not only written in mistakes … Read more>>
By Dirk Greineder
Over the last 14 years an eye-opening 7.2% (74 of an average of 1032) of all the Massachusetts prisoners convicted of first-degree murder sentenced to Life Without Parole ( LWOP) were ordered released by the courts because of wrongful convictions. 29 have been identified and have cumulatively served 911 years before release, for an average of 31 … Read more>>
Dear Boston City Councilors,
The Massachusetts Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild (NLG) strongly opposes the City of Boston’s funding for the Boston Regional Intelligence Center (BRIC) and enabling its spying and surveillance practices of citizens engaged in protected First Amendment political activities.
Since its inception in 2005, BRIC has not produced anything significant for the City of Boston in … Read more>>
Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard
Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard realizes the conservative goal of ending affirmative action programs. In it, the Court sets down three requirements that affirmative action programs must satisfy: they must pass strict scrutiny, they must not use race as a “negative,” and they must have an explicit end date. The majority claims these … Read more>>
Groff v. Dejoy
Discrimination on the basis of religion is prohibited under the federal employment discrimination statute, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In addition, an employer may be required to grant an employee’s reasonable request for an exception to a workplace policy or practice – known as a religious accommodation – unless the accommodation would create … Read more>>
by Jeff Feuer
The past eight years were the warmest on record globally, fueled by ever-rising greenhouse gas concentrations and accumulated heat, according to the World Meteorological Organization, and 2023 will be the Earth’s hottest year on record, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and NASA. We are right now on the verge of extinction … Read more>>
We, recent Suffolk Law School graduates and members of the NLG-Mass Chapter – Nick Adams, Tyler Daguerre, and Dave Runkle, are working on a new project, the Independent Organizing Network (I.O.N.)
I.O.N. is an initiative seeking to build a network of lawyers and legal volunteers specializing in labor and employment law to satisfy the legal needs of budding independent union … Read more>>
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: press@nlg.org
May 31, 2023
On the morning of Wednesday, May 31, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) and Atlanta Police Department (APD) raided the homes of and arrested three activists with the Atlanta Solidarity Fund. These arrests are a clear attempt to silence protest and sever activists from legal counsel and community support.
National Lawyers Guild … Read more>>
Lawyer Award Honoree – Makis Antzoulatos
Lawyer Award Honoree – Josh Raisler Cohn
Lifetime Achievement Award Honoree – Ronald Fox
Rob Doyle Award Honoree – Massachusetts Law Reform Institute’s Housing Group
Legal Worker Award Honoree – Extinction Rebellion
Student Award Honoree – Ruchi Ramamurthy (Northeastern Law School)
Student Award Honoree – Nicholas Adams (Suffolk Law School)… Read more>>
Pictures courtesy of Lisa Gordon, Sara Malley, and Jonathan Messenger.… Read more>>
