These voter suppression tactics are a threat to our democracy.Public interest lawyers serve as bulwarks against such antidemocratic actions. These attorneys work in nonprofit organizations, public interest law firms or the government to help safeguard our democratic institutions through voter education, legislative advocacy and litigation. One way out of this bind is by funding more public interest attorneys.Public interest attorneys work for legal service providers, nonprofits and government agencies that focus their practice on helping low-income, marginalized or vulnerable populations. Their work spans across a wide range of issue areas — from housing and domestic violence to veterans' rights, immigration and more.In the 1990s, I was an attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice 's voting rights section. [6] To stay ahead in such a whack-a-mole landscape requires refortifying the VRA and, importantly, enough attorneys to enforce the right to vote.But a lack of opportunities and funding in public interest law paired with educational debt can make a career in public interest law seem more like a fantasy than reality.That's where programs like public service loan forgiveness, the only educational debt program specifically targeted at public service professionals, play a critical role.

Source: Washington Post May 17, 2024 21:15 UTC