Major developments
This page lists all of the most recent developments on civil right to counsel across the country. These could be newly created rights to counsel, significant publications, public events, advocacy efforts, or other things that don't fit into a neat category.
All about the children's right to counsel in PA TPR cases
01/14/2023
Children have a right to counsel in termination of parental rights cases, although the child's GAL can sometimes play this role.
New disability policy framework includes right to counsel
01/14/2023
New guidelines from the Disability Economic Justice Collaborative call for the inclusion of right to counsel as a reasonable accommodation.
All about Connecticut's eviction right to counsel
01/13/2023
In May 2021, Connecticut became the third state to enact a statewide right to counsel for indigent tenants facing eviction.
CityHealth ranks cities on tenant right to counsel policies
01/04/2023
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.
U.S. rank on access to civil justice in Rule of Law Index drops to 126th out of 139 countries
12/29/2022
The 2022 World Justice Project's Rule of Law Index ranked the U.S. 126th in the world on access to civil justice.
HUD grants fund tenant representation
12/29/2022
Three rounds of HUD grants are providing funding to legal services providers to represent tenants facing eviction.
Omaha looks to add tenant right to counsel
12/29/2022
Omaha's affordable housing plan includes right to counsel as one of its stated goals.
Multnomah County ballot initiative would establish eviction RTC
12/17/2022
A proposed ballot initiative for May 2023 would establish a right to counsel for Multnomah County tenants facing eviction.
All about Louisville's eviction right to counsel
10/19/2022
Louisville is first the Southern city to enact an eviction right to counsel.
Alaska expands right to counsel for children
10/17/2022
Provides for mandatory and discretionary appointment of counsel for children 10 years of age or older in CINA cases in certain circumstances.
Ballot initiative would expand Denver's enacted right to counsel
10/10/2022
Denver has enacted an ordinance to guarantee counsel for tenants facing eviction, and there is also a pending ballot initaitive.
All about the tenant right to counsel in Kansas City
09/22/2022
Kansas City has enacted an ordinance guaranteeing counsel for all tenatns facing eviction regardless of income.
U.S. hears from advocates on access to justice and CRTC
09/20/2022
Meetings between U.S. representatives and access to justice advocates highlighted many issues, including civil right to counsel.
New NCCRC/CityHealth report highlights eviction right to counsel; webinar in Sept
09/19/2022
A report by the NCCRC, CityHealth, and Enterprise Community Partners covers housing policies advancing health equity, such as right to counsel.
Richmond VA eviction reports reveal power of counsel
09/15/2022
Reports find that Richmond eviction cases are incredibly short and that tenant counsel has a profound effect on outcomes.
AK high court extends due process right to counsel for parents in custody cases
08/12/2022
The Supreme Court of Alaska extended the law as to situations where parents have a constitutional right to counsel in custody cases.
KY appeals court: denial of counsel for noncustodial parent was reversible error
08/05/2022
The Kentucky Court of Appeals held that the failure to appoint counsel in a dependency proceeding required reversal of the termination order.
Campaign launched for eviction RTC in North Jersey
07/30/2022
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.
Michigan court: effective assistance of counsel needed for civil commitments
07/29/2022
A Michigan Court of Appeals held that respondents in Michigan civil commitment proceedings are entitled to effective assistance of counsel.
Detroit is latest city to enact tenant right to counsel
07/28/2022
In May 2022, Detroit became the latest city to enact a right to counsel for tenants facing eviction.
All about Washington State's groundbreaking eviction right to counsel
07/28/2022
In April 2021, Washington State became the first state with a statewide right to counsel for tenants facing eviction.
All about Philadelphia's eviction right to counsel
07/17/2022
The Philadelphia City Council has enacted a right to counsel for tenants.
San Francisco ballot initiative establishes DV right to counsel pilot
06/06/2022
A 2022 ballot initiative, Proposition D, creates a 1-year pilot to provide a right to counsel for San Francisco victims of domestic violence.
Illinois creates immigration right to counsel task force
05/17/2022
An enacted 2022 bill creates a task force to study implementation of an immigration right to counsel, with a report due in 2023.
ACLU/NCCRC report flags eviction's harms, RTC's promise
05/11/2022
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.
Nebraska study reveals lawlessness of evictions, impact of counsel
05/11/2022
A new report found evictions in Lancaster County often violate the law and that counsel makes a huge difference.
Delaware weighing creation of tenant right to counsel
05/06/2022
A bill has been filed that would guarantee a right to counsel for Delaware tenants in eviction and related proceedings.
New Orleans joins ranks of cities with tenant right to counsel
05/06/2022
In May 2022, the New Orleans City Council enacted an ordinance to provide a right to counsel for all tenants facing eviction.
PA report urges statewide eviction right to counsel
04/30/2022
A report from the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center urges the state to fund a right to counsel for tenants statewide.
Discretionary appointment of counsel
04/22/2022
A 2022 law changed appointment of counsel for birth parents in adoption cases from mandatory to discretionary.