Equal Justice Under Law (civil rights organization)

{{Infobox organization

| image =

| founded = 2014

| founders = {{hlist|Phil Telfeyan|Alec Karakatsanis}}

| headquarters = Washington, D.C.

| type = 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization

| tax_id = 46-2209985

| purpose = Civil rights impact litigation

| name = Equal Justice Under Law

| website = https://equaljusticeunderlaw.org

}}

File:CourtEqualJustice.JPG]]

Equal Justice Under Law is an American civil rights impact litigation nonprofit based in Washington, D.C., which accepts cases on a national basis.{{Cite news|title=About – Equal Justice Under Law|language=en-US|work=Equal Justice Under Law|url=https://equaljusticeunderlaw.org/about|access-date=2021-09-24}} The organization was founded in 2014 by Alec Karakatsanis and Phil Telfeyan, two 2008 Harvard Law School graduates.{{Cite news|url=https://today.law.harvard.edu/fighting-unequal-justice/|title=Fighting Unequal Justice – Harvard Law Today|work=Harvard Law Today|access-date=2017-04-23}} The mission of Equal Justice Under Law is to achieve equality in the criminal system (especially wealth-based inequality) and break cycles of poverty for those involved with the legal system.{{Cite web|title=Mission|url=https://equaljusticeunderlaw.org/mission|access-date=2021-09-09|website=Equal Justice Under Law|language=en-US}} The organization works on a range of issues, including money bail, fees for expungement, and suspension of driver's licenses. Equal Justice Under Law and its small team of lawyers seek to drive change in the legal system through impact litigation and class action lawsuits. The firm's work has received national attention in news outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post,{{Cite news|title=More than 7 million people may have lost driver's licenses because of traffic debt|language=en-US|newspaper=Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/more-than-7-million-people-may-have-lost-drivers-licenses-because-of-traffic-debt/2018/05/19/97678c08-5785-11e8-b656-a5f8c2a9295d_story.html|access-date=2021-09-09|issn=0190-8286}} National Public Radio,{{Cite web|date=2020-03-12|title=Civil liberties groups file class action lawsuit against Buffalo Federal Detention Facility|url=https://www.wbfo.org/crime/2020-03-12/civil-liberties-groups-file-class-action-lawsuit-against-buffalo-federal-detention-facility|access-date=2021-09-09|website=WBFO|language=en}} USA Today,{{Cite web|last=Lee|first=Jolie|title=Pot growers face charges -- in state where pot is legal|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2014/05/19/marijuana-washington-kettle-falls-five/9031751/|access-date=2021-09-17|website=USA TODAY|language=en-US}} the San Francisco Chronicle,{{Cite web|last=Egelko|first=Bob|date=2019-08-07|title=As bail changes in California, a new two-track plan is being proposed|url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/As-bail-changes-in-California-a-new-two-track-14288776.php|access-date=2021-09-09|website=San Francisco Chronicle|language=en-US}} the Detroit Free Press,{{Cite web|last=Jackson|first=Angie|title=Tickets in Michigan must say that there are alternatives for people who can't afford fines|url=https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2020/03/07/traffic-tickets-pay-alternatives-cant-afford-fines-fees/4975723002/|access-date=2021-09-09|website=Detroit Free Press|language=en-US}} in addition to strong local coverage of its lawsuits.{{Cite web|last=Wulfhorst|first=Emma|date=2021-08-11|title=Lawsuit filed against Ravalli Co, claim exorbitant pretrial fees|url=https://nbcmontana.com/news/working-for-you/lawsuit-filed-against-ravalli-co-claim-exorbitant-pretrial-fees|access-date=2021-09-09|website=KECI}}{{Cite web|last=Brantley|first=Max|date=2018-07-18|title=Another city challenged over ordinance aimed at banning inexpensive mobile homes|url=https://arktimes.com/arkansas-blog/2018/07/18/another-city-challenged-over-ordinance-aimed-at-banning-inexpensive-mobile-homes|access-date=2021-09-09|website=Arkansas Times|language=en-US}}{{Cite web|date=2017-11-28|title=McCrory Settles Lawsuit Over Banishing Cheap Mobile Homes|url=https://www.kark.com/news/mccrory-settles-lawsuit-over-banishing-cheap-mobile-homes/|access-date=2021-09-09|website=KARK|language=en-US}}{{Cite web|date=2017-01-31|title=Pressure To Reform California's Bail System Ramps Up|url=https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2017/01/31/pressure-to-reform-californias-bail-system-ramps-up/|access-date=2021-09-09|language=en-US}}

Equal Justice Under Law received its initial funding from the Harvard Law School Public Service Venture Fund, which supports graduates of the law school in public service ventures.{{Cite news|title=Top seeds: Harvard Law School entrepreneurs launch new ventures of service - Harvard Law Today|language=en-US|work=Harvard Law Today|url=https://today.law.harvard.edu/top-seeds-harvard-law-school-entrepreneurs-launch-new-ventures-service/|access-date=2021-09-09}} To support its continued operations, the organization is funded by individual donors and various grants for nonprofits fighting inequality in the legal system.

Co-founder Alec Karakatsanis left the organization in 2016 to found the Civil Rights Corps, building on Equal Justice Under Law's mission to fight for justice in the legal system. The other founder, Phil Telfeyan, has continued to serve as Executive Director in his absence.

As of September 2021, Equal Justice Under Law claims to have litigated on behalf of over 1.5 million class members in 16 states.{{Cite web|title=Make a Donation|url=https://equaljusticeunderlaw.org/make-a-donation|access-date=2021-09-09|website=Equal Justice Under Law|language=en-US}} The organization is seen as a leader in the fight against money bail, having been the first to successfully litigate a case challenging money bail on constitutional grounds.{{Cite web|title=Money Bail|url=https://equaljusticeunderlaw.org/money-bail-1|access-date=2021-09-09|website=Equal Justice Under Law|language=en-US}} As of the end of 2020, it had filed 10 cases across multiple states, and the early successes led to further litigation by the ACLU and other major legal nonprofits.{{Cite web|title=ACLU Case Search - Bail Reform|url=https://www.aclu.org/search/%20?f%5B0%5D=field_issues%3A2596&f%5B1%5D=type%3Acase|access-date=2021-09-09|website=American Civil Liberties Union|language=en}} Equal Justice Under Law has been active in cases where poor criminal defendants have been jailed due to inability to post bond or pay fines.{{cite news|author1=Shaila Dewan|title=Court by Court, Lawyers Fight Policies That Fall Heavily on the Poor|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/24/us/court-by-court-lawyers-fight-practices-that-punish-the-poor.html|accessdate=October 25, 2015|work=The New York Times|date=October 23, 2015}}

The name of the organization is a reference to the frieze above the entrance of the United States Supreme Court Building.