Major developments

Children have a right to counsel in termination of parental rights cases, although the child's GAL can sometimes play this role.

New guidelines from the Disability Economic Justice Collaborative call for the inclusion of right to counsel as a reasonable accommodation.

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

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.

The 2022 World Justice Project's Rule of Law Index ranked the U.S. 126th in the world on access to civil justice.

Three rounds of HUD grants are providing funding to legal services providers to represent tenants facing eviction.

Omaha's affordable housing plan includes right to counsel as one of its stated goals.

A proposed ballot initiative for May 2023 would establish a right to counsel for Multnomah County tenants facing eviction.

Louisville is first the Southern city to enact an eviction right to counsel.

Provides for mandatory and discretionary appointment of counsel for children 10 years of age or older in CINA cases in certain circumstances.

Denver has enacted an ordinance to guarantee counsel for tenants facing eviction, and there is also a pending ballot initaitive.

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

Meetings between U.S. representatives and access to justice advocates highlighted many issues, including civil right to counsel.

A report by the NCCRC, CityHealth, and Enterprise Community Partners covers housing policies advancing health equity, such as right to counsel.

Reports find that Richmond eviction cases are incredibly short and that tenant counsel has a profound effect on outcomes.

The Supreme Court of Alaska extended the law as to situations where parents have a constitutional right to counsel in custody cases.

The Kentucky Court of Appeals held that the failure to appoint counsel in a dependency proceeding required reversal of the termination order.

The North New Jersey DSA is pushing for the city to join the ranks of cities adopting a right to counsel for tenants facing eviction.

A Michigan Court of Appeals held that respondents in Michigan civil commitment proceedings are entitled to effective assistance of counsel.

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

In April 2021, Washington State became the first state with a statewide right to counsel for tenants facing eviction.

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

A 2022 ballot initiative, Proposition D, creates a 1-year pilot to provide a right to counsel for San Francisco victims of domestic violence.

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.

A bill has been filed that would guarantee a right to counsel for Delaware tenants in eviction and related proceedings.

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

A report from the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center urges the state to fund a right to counsel for tenants statewide.

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