Category | News

Commentary on Recent Supreme Court Decision by Barb Dougan

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>>

Climate Activists Supported by Mass Defense Committee

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>>

Independent Organizing Network

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>>

NLG Condemns State Repression Against Atlanta Solidarity Fund Activists

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>>

NLG-Mass 2023 Testimonial Dinner Honorees’ Acceptance Speeches

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>>

NLG-Mass 2023 Testimonial Dinner

Pictures courtesy of Lisa Gordon, Sara Malley, and Jonathan Messenger.… Read more>>

Lipou Laliemthavisay’s Experience at the 2023 NLG-Mass Testimonial Dinner

For the love of people over property —this is why I joined the NLG and collaborated with friends to start the student chapter of the NLG at Roger Williams University School of Law back in 2011.  I was warmly reminded of this sacred truth at this year’s NLG Testimonial Dinner and I felt my fire reignited by the dedicated comrades … Read more>>

Dave Runkle’s Experience at the 2023 NLG-Mass Testimonial Dinner

Despite being an NLG member since 2021, this was my first opportunity to attend a Testimonial Dinner and I couldn’t be more glad that I finally made it.  I joined the Guild shortly after beginning a two-year J.D. program at Suffolk University but somehow, during those two years which also included marrying my amazing partner and welcoming a devastatingly adorable … Read more>>

Police Drastic Actions Against Stop Cop City Activists in Atlanta, GA

Heavily armed police raided a music festival in a forest near Atlanta and indiscriminately detained and arrested dozens of people on March 5, 2023. https://theintercept.com/2023/03/08/atlanta-cop-city-protesters/

Twenty three of those arrestees have been charged under a Georgia state domestic terrorism law, an overly broad law passed in the wake of the 2020 uprising to criminalize dissent and keep activists out of … Read more>>

Critical Race Theory and Law School Curriculum

Isabella Forcino, a 3L at Boston College Law School is working on a project tracking the work being done teaching critical race theory and race in the law in American law schools, including the role of student activism. The goal is to make a toolkit for students in other law schools who want to bring CRT courses to their schools. The … Read more>>

Harvard Campaign: No More Comaroff, No More Complicity

HARVARD CAMPAIGN

No More Comaroff, No More Complicity

By Austin Siebold

            On Wednesday, March 29th, I sat in the doorway of the (men’s) basement bathroom in University Hall, a central administrative building in Harvard Yard, where the Dean of the College, Dean of Faculty, and Dean of Students all work.

            As I sat there, the door propped open, … Read more>>

Two NLG Legal Observers Arrested in Atlanta, GA

Two NLG legal observers were arrested during a protest against Cop City in Atlanta, Georgia. Law enforcement detained at least 35 people in Atlanta on Sunday, March 5, at a solidarity music festival over a mile away from the Cop City construction site. All of these arrests are part of ongoing state repression and violence against racial and environmental justice … Read more>>

2023 NLG Testimonial Dinner

Read more>>

Massachusetts Chapter of the NLG Condemns the Recent Arrests in Atlanta, Georgia

The Massachusetts Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild (NLG) strongly condemns the brutal and provocative arrests of environmental activists and the unnecessarily harsh charges brought against the Cop City protestors in Atlanta.

On March 5, 2023, police and other law enforcement personnel arrested some 35 people, including NLG Legal Observers, who attended a peaceful solidarity music festival in Atlanta in … Read more>>

April Legal Observing

Legal Observing at Abington City Council to Remove Cops from Abington High School on April 3, 2023

Legal Observers – Melissa Costa and Jill Sheridan

Legal Observer Training for Students at Boston University Law School on April 6, 2023

Trainer – Lee Goldstein

Action in Solidarity with Palestinian Worshippers Brutalized in Al Aqsa Mosque on April 9, 2023

Legal Observer … Read more>>

20th Innocence Network Conference

20th Innocence Network Conference – April 14-15, 2023

I recently had the opportunity to attend the Innocence Network National Conference in Phoenix, Arizona. The conference brings to together lawyers, law students, forensic experts, researchers across a number of fields, activists, various other supporters, and most importantly, people who have been exonerated and freed.

It was an honor to learn from … Read more>>

Community Action in Western Massachusetts and Connecticut

NLG-Mass was notified of two campaigns happening in Western Massachusetts and one in our neighbor state, Connecticut.

Chase Bank Campaign

A coalition of activist groups organized by Climate Action Now joined the Third Act National Campaign on March 21, 2023 to protest the new Chase Banks opening this year in Western Massachusetts. The protestors also urged Chase Bank to stop … Read more>>

“Let’s Make 2023 the Year We Get Free Phone Calls” By Rachel Roth

Valentine’s Day Lobbying at the State House for Free Phone Calls from Prisons

For too long, families and friends of people in prison and jail have been charged excessively high rates to talk on the phone. People spend $14 million a year to talk with their loved ones who are incarcerated, which is far more than anyone else in Massachusetts … Read more>>

Mass Dissent – Mass Defense Committee Update

On Friday, February 10th, Jeff Feuer represented 14 Extinction Rebellion activists who were arrested in the evening of February 9th in Governor Healey’s office at the State House as part of a large demonstration (approximately 50 people) done by Extinction Rebellion to demand that the Governor take some immediate steps to address the climate emergency facing our state and country.  … Read more>>

Mass Dissent – Student Chapter Update

Harvard Law School

The Harvard Law School NLG Chapter is busy this year holding monthly abolitionist community building (AbCom) events. They are using their first AbCom event to build care packages for community organizers leading de-carceral campaigns (i.e., organizers with People Not Prisons and FJAH). The chapter also plans to hold a series of Reproductive Justice workshops, which will include … Read more>>

Mass Dissent – Street Law Clinic Update

LEGAL OBSERVING

January 17:       Legal Observing at a climate justice action in East Boston, organized by Extinction Rebellion-Boston, by Sean McNamara.

January 18:       Legal Observing at a climate justice action in East Boston, organized by Extinction Rebellion-Boston, by Sean McNamara.

January 23:       Legal Observer Training at Northeastern School of Law, by Melinda Drew.

January 28:       Legal Observing at a rally … Read more>>

Honoree Spotlight: Ronald Fox, Lifetime Achievement Award

Ron got the idea of becoming a lawyer early in his life (according to family legend, he requested a law school catalog at ten years old), following in his father’s footsteps. But Ron never really had an idea of what a lawyer did or why he even wanted to be a lawyer. Early in his legal career, Ron began working … Read more>>

NLG-Mass Chapter Annual Meeting

On January 18, the NLG-Mass Chapter members met for this year’s Annual Meeting.  We were hoping that this time, after long 3 years, we’ll be able to hold the meeting in person; however, a survey of our membership showed that people preferred a virtual meeting.

At the meeting, we conducted our annual Elections of the NLG-Mass Chapter Board of Directors … Read more>>

Mass Dissent – Student Chapter Update

Northeastern University

This past fall semester, the NUSL NLG chapter has been excited to be back on campus in full capacity for the first time since 2020. We have held bi-weekly meetings and plan to continue to do so this coming next semester. We held a Street Law Clinic: Know Your Rights training in October. We also held a live … Read more>>

Mass Dissent – Street Law Clinic Update

Thank you for your participation and dedication to NLG! We would like to uplift our work at the Street Law Clinic and encourage those who are interested to get involved! Last semester, we trained many law students to learn how to aid in the facilitation of Know Your Rights: Stop & Search workshops for organizations around Massachusetts. We are excited to … Read more>>