Major developments

In May 2022, Detroit became the latest city to enact a right to counsel for tenants facing eviction.

An enacted 2022 bill creates a task force to study implementation of an immigration right to counsel, with a report due in 2023.

A joint report by the ACLU and NCCRC reviews the data on the widepsread consequences of evictions and right to counsel's impact on the problem.

A new report found evictions in Lancaster County often violate the law and that counsel makes a huge difference.

In May 2022, the New Orleans City Council enacted an ordinance to provide a right to counsel for all tenants facing eviction.

A 2022 law changed appointment of counsel for birth parents in adoption cases from mandatory to discretionary.

In 2022, Colorado added the right to client-directed counsel for older children in abuse/neglect cases.

NYC is the first jurisdiction in the country to establish a right to counsel for low-income tenants in eviction cases, and is looking to expand.

An ordinance introduced in Lakewood Ohio aims to make the city the third in Ohio to provide a right to counsel for tenants facing eviction.

The City of St. Pete is considering providing a right to counsel for tenants facing eviction.

The City of Toledo has enacted legislation to guarantee counsel to low-income tenants facing eviction.

In May, Maryland became the second state to provide a statewide right to counsel for indigent tenants facing evictoin.

CityHealth, which ranks cities on their policies, is making a push in conjunction with the NCCRC for cities to adopt a tenant right to counsel.

A proposed ballot initiative for November 2022 would establish a right to counsel for Multnomah County tenants facing eviction.

Building off of NYCs success, a new bill would guarantee counsel for low-income tenants across New York State in a variety of situations.

In Nov 2020, voters in Boulder Colorado approved a ballot initiative establishing a right to counsel for tenants facing eviction.

The Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts declined to answer whether indigent defendants are entitled to counsel in protection order cases.

A ballot initiative passed in June 2018 guarantees counsel for San Francisco tenants in eviction cases regardless of income.

A report by a working group created by the Supreme Court of California Chief Justice calls for a statewide tenant right to counsel.

A bill guarantees counsel to Cleveland families with children facing eviction who are at or below 100% of the federal poverty level.

The Philadelphia City Council has enacted a right to counsel for tenants.

In January 2022, We celebrated the eviction right to counsel movement and its leaders.

The Colorado Court of Appeals has ruled that indigent parents in child support contempt cases pursued by the government have a right to counsel.

In May 2021, Connecticut became the third state to enact a statewide right to counsel for indigent tenants facing eviction.

The Maryland Court of Appeals ruled that involuntarily committed patients objecting to medication have a right to counsel.

The 2020 World Justice Project's Rule of Law Index ranked the U.S. 126th in the world on access to civil justice.

Kansas City has enacted an ordinance guaranteeing counsel for all tenatns facing eviction regardless of income.

An increasing number of legal services programs have tapped a number of different federal funding pots to expand tenant representation.

A report from the RVA Eviction Lab finds Richmond eviction cases are incredibly short and that tenant counsel has a profound effect on outcomes.

A new research report finds that children with counsel in child welfare cases have improved permanency outcomes and the State saves money.