PEACE AND JUSTICE LAW CENTER

The organization's largest program service by expense is its Human and Civil Rights Defense Program. Through public-interest litigation, legal advocacy, and related pro bono legal assistance, the program protects civil rights, promotes government accountability, combats discrimination, and advances public safety and community well-being. Most clients are indigent individuals or nonprofit organizations and have no financial interest in the outcome of the litigation. Attorney fees are sought only when authorized by applicable fee-shifting statutes and are payable by opposing parties rather than clients. In 2025, the organization concluded Chicanxs Unidxs v. Spitzer, a public-records action brought on behalf of three nonprofit organizations seeking prosecutorial records necessary to enforce the California Racial Justice Act. The litigation advanced public access to government information and efforts to eliminate racial discrimination in the criminal legal system. Attorney fees were awarded pursuant to the fee-shifting provisions of the California Public Records Act. The organization also continued litigation challenging Orange County's longstanding gang-injunction practices in People v. Townsend Street. The litigation seeks injunctive relief to reduce discriminatory enforcement practices, protect constitutional rights, and limit reliance on punitive strategies that destabilize communities and contribute to youth involvement in the criminal legal system. The organization represented multiple indigent defendants without charge. No attorney fees were sought for this work in 2025. The organization also continued litigating ACLU v. Inglewood Police Department, a public-records action seeking disclosure of police-misconduct records. The litigation promotes government transparency, police accountability, and enforcement of civil rights protections. No attorney fees were awarded in 2025. The organization also engaged in non-litigation work. The organization represented the unincorporated association Los Amigos de Orange County in pre-litigation discussions with a third party threatening a defamation lawsuit. The representation supported community advocacy and the exercise of constitutional rights and was provided without charge. The organization also advised the nonprofit organization Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice regarding legal issues arising from its immigration-court observation program. This work was provided without charge and advanced the protection of civil rights and public participation in the justice system. During 2025, the organization concluded one major litigation matter, continued two additional public-interest lawsuits, represented three nonprofit organizations, multiple indigent defendants, one unincorporated association, and one nonprofit organization in advisory matters, all without charge to the clients. Through these litigation and advisory matters, the organization advanced civil rights, promoted government transparency and accountability, and provided legal services without charge to individuals and nonprofit organizations engaged in public-interest activities.

The organization's second largest program service by expense is its Education and Public-Interest Information Program. Through community education, professional training, coalition facilitation, policy research, and public-interest communications, the program advances public understanding of civil rights, criminal justice, youth justice, community safety, and government transparency. All activities in this program are conducted without charge. During 2025, the organization continued to lead joint meetings of the Decriminalizing Neighborhoods Network and the California Alliance for Youth and Community Justice. These statewide coalitions meet regularly to examine and promote public-health approaches to reducing community violence and state violence, with a particular focus on youth. In 2025, the organization led a two-day webinar for gang intervention workers on how to protect themselves from false accusations of continued gang involvement. Through these coalition and training activities, the organization promoted public education, shared research on community safety, and supported nonpunitive violence-prevention strategies. In 2025, the organization also launched a public educational website that evaluates and tracks developments affecting democratic institutions, civil liberties, government accountability, and the rule of law in the United States. The website provides research, analysis, and educational materials designed to help members of the public better understand emerging threats to constitutional governance and civil rights protections. This work advanced public education and informed civic engagement regarding issues of broad public concern. The organization also worked to educate the public and policymakers about law enforcement gang databases. In 2025, the organization published one policy brief on gang databases for California state legislators, participated in multiple media interviews and news stories on the issue, and published one op-ed. This work advanced public education, government accountability, and efforts to reduce prejudice and discrimination in law enforcement practices.