# Civil Rights Corps

> Dedicated to challenging systemic injustice in the American legal system.'

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## Posts

- [Landmark ODonnell Consent Decree Upheld by Federal Court](https://civilrightscorps.org/landmark-odonnell-consent-decree-upheld-by-federal-court/): On Oct 5, the United States District Court denied a motion to vacate the ODonnell Consent Decree, a landmark court order that transformed Harris County’s misdemeanor bail system and ended its practice of wealth-based detention.
- [Children & Parents Sue to Restore Contact Visits in Solano County Jails, Asserting Their Right to Hug Their Family](https://civilrightscorps.org/children-parents-sue-to-restore-contact-visits-in-solano-county-jails-asserting-their-right-to-hug-their-family/): The lawsuit challenges a conspiracy between the Solano County Sheriff’s Office and the jail telecom company iWebVisit to profit from eliminating in-person contact visits.
- [Mississippi Court Administrator Agrees to Continue Providing Attorneys with Access to Youth Court Records, Helping Prevent Youth Court System from Collapsing on July 1](https://civilrightscorps.org/mississippi-court-administrator-agrees-to-continue-providing-attorneys-with-access-to-youth-court-records-helping-prevent-youth-court-system-from-collapsing/): On June 24, the Mississippi Office of State Public Defender sued the state Administrative Office of Courts (AOC) to prevent AOC from denying Youth Court attorneys and their clients access to records in their own cases. On June 29, the federal court approved an Agreed Order that binds AOC to continue providing those records at least until July 15.
- [Fifth Circuit Reinstates Claims Against Harris County Deputy Constables Alleging They Unlawfully Entered the Wrong Family’s Home with Guns Drawn](https://civilrightscorps.org/fifth-circuit-reinstates-claims-against-harris-county-deputy-constables-alleging-they-unlawfully-entered-the-wrong-familys-home-with-guns-drawn/): On May 4, 2026, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated Mr. Tyler Harrington’s claims of unlawful entry, search, and seizure against three Harris County, Texas, Deputy Constables, and dismissed Mr. Harrington’s excessive force claim on qualified immunity grounds. The lawsuit alleges that officers James Lancaster, Nathaniel Cano, and Jared Lindsay conducted a warrantless no-knock entry into Mr. Harrington’s home in the middle of the night and held him at gunpoint, despite questioning aloud whether they were at the wrong house.
- [Civil Rights Corps Asks Court of Appeal To Investigate a California Prosecutor’s Office for Repeated Use of Fabricated, Seemingly AI-Generated Legal Citations](https://civilrightscorps.org/civil-rights-corps-asks-court-of-appeal-to-investigate-a-california-prosecutors-office-for-repeated-use-of-fabricated-seemingly-ai-generated-legal-citations/): On March 30, 2026, Civil Rights Corps (CRC) filed a brief in support of sanctions against a District Attorney’s Office in the case of Kjoller v. Superior Court of Nevada County, urging the court to conduct an inquiry into a series of filings by Nevada County prosecutors riddled with citations to fabricated legal authorities, fictitious quotations, and misrepresentations of law. Below is a background summary and quotations from that brief.
- [Court Orders Riverside County to End Unconstitutional Wealth-Based Detention for Individuals Arrested for Lower-Level Charges](https://civilrightscorps.org/court-orders-riverside-county-to-end-unconstitutional-wealth-based-detention-for-individuals-arrested-for-lower-level-charges/): Orange County Superior Court judge has enjoined Riverside County, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office, and Sheriff Chad Bianco, stopping them from jailing people arrested on lower-level charges before they have a court hearing simply because they cannot pay money bail.
- [Update | Maryland's Parent Trap: Baltimore Mother Punished After Using Safe Haven Law That Claimed to Protect Her](https://civilrightscorps.org/update-marylands-parent-trap-baltimore-mother-punished-after-using-safe-haven-law-that-claimed-to-protect-her/): Civil Rights Organizations and Leaders File Amicus Brief Defending Parents’ Right to Access the Safe Haven Law Without Liability
- [Federal Judge Recommends that Civil Rights Corps’ Lawsuit Against Family Court Judge & Durham County Sheriff, for Repeatedly Kicking CRC Out of Court,  Move Forward](https://civilrightscorps.org/federal-judge-recommends-that-civil-rights-corps-lawsuit-against-family-court-judge-durham-county-sheriff-for-repeatedly-kicking-crc-out-of-court-move-forward/): The lawsuit argues that Judge Walker and Sheriff Birkhead’s actions violate CRC’s First Amendment rights.
- [Maryland's Parent Trap: Baltimore Mother Punished After Using Safe Haven Law Designed to Protect Her](https://civilrightscorps.org/marylands-parent-trap-baltimore-mother-punished-after-using-safe-haven-law-designed-to-protect-her/): Civil Rights Organizations and Leaders File Amicus Brief Defending Parents’ Right to Access the Safe Haven Law Without Liability
- [Children Sue to Restore Contact Visits in the Adams County Jail, Asserting Their Right to Hug Their Parents](https://civilrightscorps.org/children-sue-to-restore-contact-visits-in-the-adams-county-jail-asserting-their-right-to-hug-their-parents/): Children whose parents are jailed in Adams County have sued the County, the Sheriff, and telecommunications company HomeWAV, asking the Colorado state court to affirm their constitutional right to hug their parents.
- [Lawsuit Challenging Riverside County’s Bail Processes Moves Forward](https://civilrightscorps.org/lawsuit-challenging-riverside-countys-bail-processes-moves-forward/): California Superior Court overruled the County Defendants' demurrer to the complaint
- [Texas Attorney General Seeks to Overturn Harris County Misdemeanor Bail Reforms and Return to Unconstitutional Practices](https://civilrightscorps.org/texas-attorney-general-seeks-to-overturn-harris-county-misdemeanor-bail-reforms-and-return-to-unconstitutional-practices/): Houston, TX - In 2016, Maranda ODonnell filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of tens of thousands of impoverished individuals arrested for misdemeanors in Harris County, challenging the County’s practice of detaining people due solely to their inability to pay small amounts of cash to secure their release. That system destroyed people’s lives, causing them to lose jobs, homes, cars, and sometimes custody of their children, all simply because they were poor and could not pay a few hundred dollars to a for-profit bail company.
- [Civil Rights Corps Sues Family Court Judge and Sheriff in Durham County, NC for Kicking CRC Out of Court, in Violation of the First Amendment](https://civilrightscorps.org/civil-rights-corps-sues-family-court-judge-and-sheriff-in-durham-county-nc-for-kicking-crc-out-of-court-in-violation-of-the-first-amendment/): Durham, North Carolina – On November 13, 2024, Civil Rights Corps (CRC), represented by law firm Munger, Tolles & Olson, filed a lawsuit against Durham County District Court Judge Doretta Walker for her repeated and ongoing refusal to permit community members and the public, including CRC, to observe judicial proceedings relating to one of the
- [Disability Rights California and Civil Rights Corps Oppose Proposition 36 and Any Legislation that Harms California’s Most Vulnerable Residents](https://civilrightscorps.org/disability-rights-california-and-civil-rights-corps-oppose-proposition-36-and-any-legislation-that-harms-californias-most-vulnerable-residents/): Sacramento, CA - In 2014, California took a giant step forward when it passed Proposition 47, a ballot measure that removed thousands of felonies from people’s records and reduced the jail and prison footprint across California. But now Proposition 47 is under attack. This November, law enforcement and the corporate retail lobby will be aggressively pushing
- [Faith Leaders, Detained People, and Civil Rights Groups File Lawsuit in California Challenging Riverside County’s Bail Process](https://civilrightscorps.org/faith-leaders-detained-people-and-civil-rights-groups-file-lawsuit-in-california-challenging-riverside-countys-bail-process/): On May 26, 2025, individuals detained in Riverside County jails filed a class action lawsuit challenging Riverside County’s cash-based jailing of individuals between their arrest and first court hearing, as well as Riverside County’s unnecessary delay of that hearing.
- [L.A. Takes Step Towards Ending Punishment-for-Poverty Pretrial System](https://civilrightscorps.org/l-a-takes-step-towards-ending-punishment-for-poverty-pretrial-system/): Los Angeles, CA — On Sunday, October 1, the Los Angeles Superior Court (LASC) took an important step towards limiting the criminalization of poverty by implementing the Pre-Arraignment Release Protocol (PARP) in Los Angeles County. This moves the criminal legal system in Los Angeles away from wealth-based pretrial detention and towards a policy that, if
- [Children Sue Michigan Sheriffs, Two Biggest Jail Telecom Companies, and Billionaire Detroit Pistons Owner Tom Gores, Asserting Right to Hug Their Jailed Parents](https://civilrightscorps.org/children-sue-michigan-sheriffs-two-biggest-jail-telecom-companies-and-billionaire-detroit-pistons-owner-tom-gores-asserting-right-to-hug-their-jailed-parents/): Michigan – Children in Flint and Port Huron, Michigan have filed two landmark civil rights lawsuits asserting their constitutional right to visit their jailed parents. Hundreds of counties across the United States have banned in-person jail visits for families, depriving children of the ability to see their parents face-to-face for months or years. Why? To
- [Court Preliminarily Approves Class Action Settlement on Behalf of Thousands of People Jailed by the City of Ferguson](https://civilrightscorps.org/court-preliminarily-approves-class-action-settlement-on-behalf-of-thousands-of-people-jailed-by-the-city-of-ferguson/): Ferguson, MO – On February 27, 2024, a federal judge preliminarily approved a $4.5 million settlement of a class action lawsuit filed against the City of Ferguson in 2015, after police killed Michael Brown and ignited national outrage. The lawsuit sought justice for thousands of people who alleged that Ferguson routinely violated their constitutional rights
- [Law Professor’s Complaint Against L.A. Superior Court Judge Alleges Disturbing Pattern: Ignoring California Bail Law](https://civilrightscorps.org/law-professors-complaint-against-l-a-superior-court-judge-alleges-disturbing-pattern-ignoring-california-bail-law/): Los Angeles County, CA - Forty days ago, Professor Priscilla Ocen at Loyola Law School sent a complaint to the Presiding Judge of the Los Angeles County Superior Court, Samantha Jessner, to bring Judge Jessner’s attention to what Professor Ocen described as a pattern of serious misconduct by Judge Tomson Ong, a Long Beach judge.
- [Landmark Court Ruling for Transparency in New York Prosecutorial Misconduct Cases](https://civilrightscorps.org/landmark-court-ruling-for-transparency-in-new-york-prosecutorial-misconduct-cases/): “The public cannot have faith in a process that it cannot see.” - Judge Marrero’s decision, P.85 New York - In a victory for the public and transparency, federal judge Victor Marrero held that the public has a First Amendment right to know what authorities have done with allegations of prosecutorial misconduct. The court issued
- [Civil Rights Corps Files Federal Lawsuit Alleging Harris County Constables unlawfully entered the wrong family’s home with guns drawn](https://civilrightscorps.org/civil-rights-corps-files-federal-lawsuit-alleging-harris-county-constables-unlawfully-entered-the-wrong-familys-home-with-guns-drawn/): Houston, TX - On January 31st, 2024, Civil Rights Corps filed a federal lawsuit against three members of the Harris County Constables, Precinct 2 (the “Constables”) on behalf of Harris County resident Tyler Harrington. The complaint alleges that officers James Lancaster, Nathaniel Cano, and Jared Lindsay (“defendants”) conducted a warrantless no-knock entry into Mr. Harrington’s
- [Civil Rights Corps Challenges Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Over Illegal Consulting Contract Award](https://civilrightscorps.org/civil-rights-corps-challenges-los-angeles-county-board-of-supervisors-over-illegal-consulting-contract-award/): LA County illegally awarded the redesign of the county’s pretrial services to consulting giant Accenture. Los Angeles, CA - On Monday, March 11th, the national legal organization Civil Rights Corps, which has successfully sued to strike down illegal cash bail policies in Los Angeles County, sent a letter to the Los Angeles County Board of

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## Litigation

- [Challenging Debtors’ Prison Practices in Oklahoma](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/graff-v-aberdeen-oklahoma-debtors-prison/): In November 2017, individuals facing arrest for their inability to pay court fines sued Aberdeen Enterprizes, a private collections company, the Oklahoma Sheriff’s Association, and county officials across the state, alleging that they operated an extortion scheme targeting indigent individuals who had been assessed fines in criminal and traffic court.
- [Defending Children’s Right to Hug Their Parents in Solano County](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/etter-v-solano-right2hug-california/): Etter et al. v. Solano County et al. Our lawsuit against Solano County, California asks the state court to recognize that families, whether they are incarcerated or not, have a fundamental right to familial association under the California Constitution, which includes a child’s right to hug their parents.
- [Challenging the money bail system in Harris County](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/odonnell-v-harriscounty-bail/): ODonnell v. Harris County. In 2016, a single mom of two girls who was arrested for driving on a suspended license sued Harris County, Texas, on behalf of a class of thousands of people detained in the Harris County Jail who could not afford small sums of money for their release.
- [Protecting Transparency and Access in Mississippi Youth Court](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/ospd-v-surkin-youth-court-access-ms/): OSPD v. Surkin. On June 24, 2026, the Mississippi Office of State Public Defender, its leadership, and private defense counsel Arman Miri, filed a lawsuit in federal District Court against the Mississippi Director of the Administrative Office of Courts (AOC) to ensure they, other Youth Court attorneys, and their clients, can access their own case files after the provision sunsets.
- [Defending the First Amendment Right to Observe Dependency Court in Durham County](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/crc-v-walker-court-access-durham/): Civil Rights Corps v. Walker. In November 2024, Civil Right Corps filed a lawsuit asking the federal court to recognize a First Amendment right to observe dependency court in Durham County, North Carolina. For over 15 months, CRC attorneys and staff attempted to observe proceedings in the Durham County dependency courts, which preside over cases involving allegations of abuse and neglect.
- [Holding D.C. Police Accountable for Alleged Unlawful Seizure, Arrest, and Excessive Force](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/millet-v-dc-police-accountability/): Millet v District of Columbia. In March of 2023, CRC brought suit on behalf of David Millet against the District of Columbia, Metropolitan Department Police Officer Peter Apollon, three John Doe Special Police Officers, Special Police Officer (SPO) Darrell Harris, Jr., and Security Assurance Management, Inc.
- [Holding Prosecutors Accountable for Using Erroneous Legal Citations Bearing “All the Markings” of AI Hallucinations ](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/kjoller-v-superior-court-prosecutor-accountability-nevada-county/): In August 2025, Civil Rights Corps filed a habeas corpus petition on behalf of Mr. Kyle Kjoller, challenging his unlawful detention. The Nevada County District Attorney’s Office’s response cited nonexistent case citations, claimed an irrelevant provision of the California Constitution authorized the detention, and included other inaccurate legal citations.
- [Fighting for Transparency in the Prosecutorial Misconduct Complaint Process in New York](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/crc-v-lasalle-prosecutor-accountability/): Civil Rights Corps v. LaSalle. In response to the filing of the first Accountability NY complaints in 2021, NYC Corporate Counsel sent a letter to the Grievance Committees claiming that the professors had engaged in “misuse and indeed abuse of the grievance process" that "should not be countenanced.” In November 2021, we filed a federal lawsuit and won a big victory for transparency in June 2022, when the court granted our motion for partial summary judgment.
- [Defending a Child’s Right to Hug Their Parents in Port Huron](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/mm-v-king-right2hug-port-huron/): M.M. v. King. In 2024, we filed a lawsuit on behalf of a group of children and parents in Port Huron, Michigan who were unable to visit jailed family members because of the decision to end in-person visits at the jail.
- [Defending a Child's Right to Hug Their Parents in Flint](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/sl-v-swanson-right2hug-flint/): Children in Flint are asserting their Right to Hug their jailed parents. Across the United States, hundreds of jails have eliminated in-person family visits.
- [Striking Down Unaffordable Money Bail & Pretrial Detention for Lower-Level Crimes in California](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/kowalczyk-california-bail-pretrial-detention/): In re Kowalczyk. In May 2026, the California Supreme Court issued one of the most liberatory decisions in U.S. history, unanimously holding that jailing a person pretrial simply because they can’t pay money bail is unconstitutional. The California Supreme Court also held that the vast majority of people accused of crimes must be released prior to trial under the California Constitution and reaffirmed rigorous procedural protections that the government must follow if it seeks to detain a presumed innocent person.
- [Defending Children’s Right to Hug Their Parents in Adams County](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/el-v-claps-right2hug-adamscounty/): E.L. et al. v. Claps et al. Our lawsuit argues that children whose parents are detained at the Adams County Detention Facility have a fundamental right to familial association under the Colorado Constitution — a right to hug their parents. Parents whose children are detained in Adams County are part of the lawsuit as well.
- [California Writ Project](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/california-writ-project/): Since the landmark Humphrey ruling, our California habeas project has expanded: providing training and partnering, so far, with 17 county public defender and appointed defender offices spanning all 6 of California’s intermediate appellate districts and the California Supreme Court.
- [Challenging the Money Bail System in California ](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/humphrey-california-bail/): In re Humphrey. In March 2021, the California Supreme Court issued, until that point, one of the best and most thorough opinions in U.S. history on the subject of bail. The court granted a writ of habeas corpus to our client, 63-year-old Kenneth Humphrey, and, in the process, wrote an opinion that revolutionizes bail setting in California: holding that it violates the state and federal Constitutions to jail someone solely because they cannot pay money bail and announcing strict procedural protections at bail hearings. After decades of unconstitutional detention of the poor, the Humphrey case set a vital precedent that went a long way toward ending our unjust money bail system.
- [Holding Harris County Constables Accountable for Alleged Unlawful Entry Into Wrong Family's Home](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/harrington-v-lancaster-harris-county-unlawful-entry/): Harrington v. Lancaster. In January 2024, Civil Rights Corps filed a federal lawsuit against three members of the Harris County Constables, Precinct 2 on behalf of Harris County resident Tyler Harrington. The complaint alleges that officers James Lancaster, Nathaniel Cano, and Jared Lindsay conducted a warrantless no-knock entry into Mr. Harrington’s home in the middle of the night and held him at gunpoint, despite questioning aloud whether they were at the wrong house. The complaint raises several claims against the defendants, including violations of the Fourth Amendment for unlawful entry, unlawful search, unlawful seizure, and excessive force.
- [Holding D.C. Police Accountable for Alleged False Arrest, Assault, and Imprisonment of District Resident](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/jackson-v-dc-police-accountability/): Jackson v. District of Columbia. In 2023, we filed a lawsuit against the District of Columbia and two Metropolitan Police Department Officers alleging that MPD officer seized and arrested Mr. Jackson without probable cause within seconds of approaching him on a sidewalk, assaulted him during the arrest, and then jailed Mr. Jackson for over 24 hours.
- [Challenging For-Profit Probation Scheme in Rutherford County](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/rodriguez-rutherfordcounty-tennessee-private-probation/): Rodriguez v. Providence Community Corrections. In 2018, Civil Rights Corps announced a landmark settlement in a first-of-its-kind class action case in federal court against Rutherford County and Providence Community Corrections, Inc., a private probation company that made millions of dollars over more than a decade by exploiting the poorest people in Rutherford County.
- [Holding Prosecutors Accountable for Illegal Practices in Orleans Parish](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/singleton-v-cannizzaro-orleans-parish-prosecutor-accountability/): Singleton v. Cannizzaro. Our lawsuit sought to end the unconstitutional deception and jailing of crime victims and witnesses by the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office. The lawsuit accused District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro’s office of fabricating subpoenas to coerce crime victims and witnesses of crimes into submitting to private out-of-court interrogations; illegal attempts to coerce untruthful testimony; and office-wide practice of presenting fraudulent information in court to persuade judges to issue arrest warrants. In 2017, Civil Rights Corps, with our partners at the ACLU and the ACLU of Louisiana, filed a lawsuit in federal court against District Attorney Cannizzaro and ten assistant district attorneys.
- [Defending Parents’ Right to Access the Safe Haven Law Without Liability](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/md-safe-haven-amicus/): Amicus Brief: Civil Rights Corps, Movement for Family Power, Center for Constitutional Rights, alongside other civil rights organizations and movement leaders, filed an amicus brief in support of a Baltimore mother whose case involving Maryland's Safe Haven law is being heard by the Maryland Supreme Court. The case is being litigated by the Maryland Office of the Public Defender (OPD).
- [Ending the Fee-based Diversion Program in Maricopa County](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/briggs-v-montogomery-maricopa-county-az-diversion/): Briggs v. Montgomery. In 2018, we filed a lawsuit against Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery and Treatment Assessment Screening Center, Inc. for operating a diversion program that charges hundreds of dollars in fees to people accused of possessing small amounts of marijuana. In 2024, the Court approved a landmark $2.6 million settlement.
- [Challenging the Riverside County Bail Process](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/sandoval-v-riverside-bail/): Sandoval v. Riverside. In May 2025, individuals detained in Riverside County jails filed a class action lawsuit challenging Riverside County’s cash-based jailing of individuals between their arrest and first court hearing, as well as Riverside County’s unnecessary delay of that hearing. Rabbi David Lazar and Reverend Jane Quandt chose to join this lawsuit because they view cash-based jailing as unconscionable. The lawsuit was filed against Riverside County Superior Court, Riverside County, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office, and Sheriff Chad Bianco.
- [Challenging Pretrial Detention Practices in Maryland](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/butler-v-pgcounty-pretrial-detention/): Butler v. Prince George's County. In 2022, CRC and partners filed a class action lawsuit challenging Prince George’s County's pretrial detention practices. The lawsuit seeks a declaration that PG County and its officials violate Plaintiffs’ rights under the United States and Maryland Constitutions by detaining people pretrial without meeting the substantive and procedural standards required for pretrial detention.
- [Challenging probation detainer practices in Allegheny County](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/horton-v-rangos-allegheny-county-probation/): Horton v. Rangos. In 2022, we filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of individuals detained at Allegheny County Jail against three Allegheny County judges, as well as other county, jail, and probation department officials.
- [Holding Judges Accountable in San Mateo County](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/san-mateo-county-judicial-accountability/): Civil Rights Corps worked with an amazing group of organizers at Silicon Valley De-Bug and law professor Lara Bazelon on an ethics complaint alleging judicial misconduct in San Mateo County, California. The complaint, citing court transcripts, court watchers’ observations, and local and statewide reports, was filed in August 2024, alleging that multiple judges and judicial
- [Dismantling Debtors' Prisons in New Orleans](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/cain-v-new-orleans-debtors-prison/): Cain v. City of New Orleans. In Louisiana, the judges who order and collect fines and fees from impoverished criminal defendants also depend on that money to fund their own budgets. In 2015, we filed a lawsuit in federal court against the City of New Orleans and its local judges for jailing thousands of human beings each year just for being too poor to pay those fines and fees. The Court declared that the City’s judges violate the Constitution when they jail people for nonpayment without considering those people’s ability to pay.
- [Striking Down Unfair Bail Rules in Davidson County Criminal Court](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/ncbf-v-gentry-davidson-co-bail/): Nashville Community Bail Fund (NCBF) v. Gentry. NCBF is a nonprofit that works to free people who are being jailed pretrial because they cannot afford to pay money bail. NCBF helps reunite families by posting bail. To sustain its operation, the NCBF uses a revolving fund that relies on recovering posted bond money at the conclusion of a participant’s case. In September 2019, Davidson County Criminal Court revoked NCBF’s exemption from Rule 10(B) that allowed cash bond deposits to be used for fines, court costs, and restitution, no matter who paid the bond. Under this rule if an incarcerated individual did not agree to the potential garnishment, they would not be allowed to post bond. Imposing this garnishment policy on NCBF, also threatened the existence of the organization by preventing it from fully recovering the bonds it posts and replenishing its revolving fund.
- [Challenging Money Bail Practices in Nevada](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/valdez-jimenez-nevada-bail/): Valdez-Jimenez v. Eighth Judicial District Court. Working closely with the Clark County Public Defender’s Office, Civil Rights Corps challenged Nevada’s use of money bail without consideration of a person’s ability to pay.
- [Challenging the Money Bail System in Tulsa County](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/feltz-v-regalado-tulsa-bail/): Feltz v. Regalado. In 2018, Civil Rights Corps filed a lawsuit challenging Tulsa County’s unconstitutional wealth-based pretrial detention system. Tulsa County used a secured money bail schedule to determine conditions of release for almost every person arrested in the county.
- [COVID-19: Fighting for Release & Better Conditions for People Detained in Cook County Jail](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/mays-v-dart-cook-county-illinois-covid/): Mays v. Dart. In 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit the U.S., many of us protected ourselves by isolating in our homes. For the millions of people trapped in jails and prisons across the country, this was not an option.
- [Protecting a Public Defenders' First Amendment Rights in Montgomery County, PA](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/hudson-v-montgomery-county-pa/): Hudson v. Montgomery County. In early February 2020, Plaintiff Keisha Hudson, who was then Deputy Chief Public Defender for Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, directed the filing of an amicus brief challenging the money bail system. Later that month, Hudson was fired from her job. CRC and partners filed a lawsuit on Hudson’s behalf that alleged that she was fired in retaliation for the amicus brief, thereby violating her First Amendment rights.
- [Challenging Debtors' Prison Practices in Ferguson](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/fant-v-ferguson-debtors-prisons/): Fant v. City of Ferguson. In 2015, we filed a landmark challenge to the City of Ferguson’s conversion of its legal system into a mechanism for generating revenue. The lawsuit sought justice for thousands of people who alleged that Ferguson routinely violated their constitutional rights by jailing them in deplorable conditions and without the necessary legal process because they could not pay money to the City.
- [COVID-19: Fighting for Release & Better Conditions for People Detained in Prince George’s County Jail](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/seth-v-mcdonough-prince-georges-co-maryland-covid/): Seth v. McDonough. In 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit the U.S., many of us protected ourselves by isolating in our homes. For the millions of people trapped in jails and prisons across the country, this was not an option. Under normal conditions, jails are dangerous and unhealthy places. Overcrowding, unclean spaces, and inadequate access to healthcare make infectious disease spread like wildfire. In response to this public health emergency, Civil Rights Corps, in partnership with a host of other organizations across the country, filed emergency lawsuits nationwide.
- [COVID-19: Fighting for Release & Better Conditions for People Detained in Oakland County Jail, Michigan](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/cameron-v-bouchard-oakland-co-michigan-covid/): Cameron v. Bouchard. In 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit the U.S., many of us protected ourselves by isolating in our homes. For the millions of people trapped in jails and prisons across the country, this was not an option. Under normal conditions, jails are dangerous and unhealthy places. Overcrowding, unclean spaces, and inadequate access to healthcare make infectious disease spread like wildfire. In response to this public health emergency, Civil Rights Corps, in partnership with a host of other organizations across the country, filed emergency lawsuits nationwide.
- [Challenging the Money Bail & Pretrial Detention System in St. Louis](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/dixon-v-st-louis-bail/): Dixon v. City of St. Louis. In 2019, Civil Rights Corps and partners brought a landmark challenge to the money bail and pretrial detention system in St. Louis, Missouri. Our clients and named plaintiffs were all detained in the Workhouse, a local jail in St. Louis with a long history of abusive treatment by guards and inadequate medical care. The case led to dramatic changes in everyday practices, resulting in significant reductions in the jail population. The case was eventually dismissed as moot after local and state officials changed their practices.
- [Challenging Debtors’ Prison Practices in Jennings](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/jenkins-v-jennings-debtors-prison/): Jenkins v. City of Jennings. In 2016, Civil Rights Corps, in partnership with ArchCity Defenders and the Saint Louis University School of Law Legal Clinics, reached a landmark settlement for impoverished people who were illegally jailed in Jennings, Missouri.
- [Challenging the Money Bail System in Hamblen County](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/torres-v-collins-hamblen-bail/): Torres v. Collins. We filed a major constitutional civil rights case alleging that the Hamblen County money bail system traps poor people in jail because they cannot afford to purchase their release. In early 2025, we won an important victory in federal court reforming many of the practices that we alleged to be unconstitutional.
- [Holding DC Police Accountable for Alleged Unconstitutional Search Warrant Practices](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/district-of-columbia-search-warrants/): Between 2014 and 2015 we filed multiple lawsuits against the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) in Washington, DC that alleged that MPD routinely obtains search warrants unsupported by probable cause and uses excessive force when executing these warrants, physically assaulting people, damaging their property, and endangering their lives.
- [Challenging pretrial detention in Houston & Harris County](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/houston-and-harris-county-pretrial-detention/): Hernandez v. City of Houston & Lomas v. Harris County. In 2016, Civil Rights Corps filed two class-action lawsuits against the City of Houston and Harris County, Texas, for illegally detaining tens of thousands of people every year for extended time periods after arrest in violation of the Fourth Amendment.
- [Challenging pretrial detention practices in Oregon](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/oregon-pretrial-detention/): In partnership with public defenders in Oregon, Civil Rights Corps is challenging Oregon’s longstanding practices of jailing people charged with misdemeanors prior to trial and jailing people charged with other crimes without constitutionally required due process.
- [Challenging the Money Bail Practices in Cullman County](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/hester-v-gentry-alabama-bail/): Hester v. Gentry. In 2018, Civil Rights Corps and partners filed a lawsuit alleging that hundreds of people in Cullman County, Alabama, are routinely jailed before trial due to their inability to pay bail in exchange for their release.
- [Challenging the Los Angeles Bail Schedule](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/urquidi-v-los-angeles-bail/): Urquidi v. City of Los Angeles. CRC and co-counsel brought suit in California Superior Court in November 2022 on behalf of several individuals who had been jailed for five days simply because they could not access enough cash to pay for their freedom.
- [Holding D.C. Police Accountable for Alleged Unlawful Arrest of a Mom and her Minor Daughter](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/lewis-v-dc-police-accountability/): Lewis v. District of Columbia. Our lawsuit alleges that, on two separate occasions, Malaika Lewis and her minor daughter, N.L., were subjected to horrendous treatment at the hands of police officers. After Ms. Lewis contacted police for help locating her older daughter, the lawsuit alleges that police officers separated Ms. Lewis from her younger daughter, N.L., for hours while attempting to illegally search her apartment based on one officer's unfounded hunch that she was somehow hiding a boyfriend who had committed an unspecified crime.
- [Striking Down the Money Bail System in Louisiana](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/caliste-v-cantrell-louisiana-bail/): Caliste v. Cantrell. In 2017, Civil Rights Corps filed a landmark federal class action lawsuit challenging the unconstitutional money bail system in New Orleans, Louisiana.
- [Challenging For-Profit Probation Scheme in Giles County](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/mcneil-gilescounty-tennessee-private-probation/): McNeil v. Community Probation Services. In 2018, five named plaintiffs sued Giles County, TN and two private probation companies on behalf of a class of people who were being supervised on for-profit probation.
- [Challenging the money bail system in Cook County](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/robinson-v-martin-cook-county-bail/): Robinson v. Martin. Civil Rights Corps filed a historic challenge to the unconstitutional money bail system in Cook County, Illinois. Our 2016 lawsuit alleged that the money bail system that pervaded the Chicago region, in which people are kept in jail cells solely because they cannot make monetary payments, is unconstitutional.
- [Challenging the Money Bail System in Alamance County](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/guill-v-allen-money-bail-alamance-nc/): Guill v. Allen. In November 2019, CRC filed a class-action lawsuit on behalf of three people locked in jail cells in Alamance County, North Carolina only because they are too poor to purchase their freedom.
- [Challenging the money bail system in Randolph County](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/edwards-v-cofield-alabama-bail/): Edwards v. Cofield. In 2017, Civil Rights Corps and partners filed a putative class-action lawsuit alleging that the money bail system in Randolph County, Alabama, violated the constitutional rights of people charged with misdemeanors or felonies because it created a “two-tiered” system of justice based on wealth.
- [Accountability New York](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/accountability-ny/): Prosecutors are some of the most powerful lawyers and are only rarely held accountable for professional misconduct. In New York, journalists have documented dozens of court findings of prosecutorial misconduct with no consequence. The New York Times Editorial Board wrote in 2018, “there’s no reliable system for holding prosecutors accountable for their misconduct, and they certainly can’t be entrusted with policing themselves.”
- [Challenging Money Bail Practices in Calhoun](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/walker-v-calhoun-georgia-bail/): Walker v. City of Calhoun. In 2015, Civil Rights Corps and the Southern Center for Human Rights filed a crucial lawsuit that alleged that the money bail system in Calhoun, Georgia was unconstitutional.

## Teams

- [Alec Karakatsanis](https://civilrightscorps.org/team/alec-karakatsanis/): Alec is the Founder and Executive Director of Civil Rights Corps. He has pioneered constitutional civil rights cases to challenge the size, power, profit, and everyday brutality of the punishment bureaucracy across the United States. These legal challenges have helped to free hundreds of thousands of people from jail, returned tens of millions of dollars
- [Jeffrey Stein](https://civilrightscorps.org/team/jeffrey-stein/): Jeff’s work focuses on litigation that advances real community safety for everyone. He has been involved in combating pretrial jailing systems and other aspects of the punishment bureaucracy in Texas, California, Louisiana, North Carolina, and other jurisdictions around the country.Jeff joined Civil Rights Corps after nearly a decade at the Public Defender Service for the
- [Marium Durrani](https://civilrightscorps.org/team/marium-durrani/): Marium supports CRC’s organizational strategy, strengthens internal operations, and works across teams to help advance the organization’s mission to end criminalization and systemic injustice. She brings experience in federal policy and advocacy on gender-based violence, having previously served as Vice President of Policy at the National Domestic Violence Hotline and in senior policy roles at
- [ImeIme Umana](https://civilrightscorps.org/team/imeime-umana/): ImeIme is a former CRC Legal Fellow who works as an Assistant Defender for the Michigan State Appellate Defender Office (SADO). She joined SADO after working as a staff attorney in the Trial Division at the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia. Prior to becoming a public defender, ImeIme clerked for Justice Sonia
- [Naomi Murakawa](https://civilrightscorps.org/team/naomi-murakawa/): Naomi Murakawa is an associate professor of African American Studies at Princeton University. She studies the reproduction of racial inequality in 20th and 21st century American politics, with specialization in crime policy and the carceral state. She is the author of The First Civil Right: How Liberals Built Prison America, and her work has appeared in Law &
- [Zoë Towns](https://civilrightscorps.org/team/zoe-towns/): Zoë is the Executive Director of FWD.us. She launched the criminal justice reform portfolio at FWD.us in 2017 including defining its advocacy, policy, research, and philanthropic agenda. In her years since, Zoë has overseen administrative, ballot, electoral, and legislative criminal justice reform campaigns in states across the country and at the federal level.Before joining FWD.us, Zoë was the Criminal
- [Ryan Downer](https://civilrightscorps.org/team/ryan-downer/): Ryan Downer is the Legal Director at the Washington Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs. Prior to WLC, he served as director of litigation at Civil Rights Corps, where he oversaw cases challenging the criminalization of poverty, particularly in the areas of prosecutor misconduct and wealth-based pretrial detention. Ryan’s direct casework at CRC included a challenge to
- [Reginald Dwayne Betts, PhD](https://civilrightscorps.org/team/reginald-dwayne-betts-phd/): Reginald Dwayne Betts is a poet, lawyer, and the Founder & CEO of Freedom Reads, an initiative to radically transform access to literature in prisons.The author of a memoir and four collections of poetry, Dwayne's latest book of poetry is Doggerel, released March 4, 2025. Dwayne transformed his 2019 collection of poetry, the American Book Award
- [Claudia Withers](https://civilrightscorps.org/team/claudia-withers/): Claudia is an employment attorney by training, and shares her expertise leading CRC’s management on issues including human resources, finance, information technology, facilities management and resource development. She works with managers to implement CRC’s strategic plan, and to ensure that all staff have access to the necessary training and expertise. Claudia joined CRC because she
- [Danielle Dupuy-Watson](https://civilrightscorps.org/team/danielle-dupuy-watson-2/): Danielle obtained her Ph.D. from UCLA in Community Health Sciences with a minor in Law and has applied her background in public health and data to addressing systems of mass incarceration. Danielle's education and experience at the intersection of health and justice lay the foundation for her abolitionist principles guiding the vision and implementation of
- [Elizabeth Rossi](https://civilrightscorps.org/team/elizabeth-rossi/): Elizabeth is a member of CRC’s founding staff. Following years of investigating and litigating cases challenging the criminalization of poverty she developed CRC’s Strategic Initiatives Department to help expand the ways in which the organization works to dismantle the criminal system. The department’s inaugural project, Ending Family Separation has gained national attention, raising public consciousness
- [Raj Jayadev](https://civilrightscorps.org/team/raj-jayadev/): Raj Jayadev is the co-founder of Silicon Valley De-Bug. De-Bug is an organization that focuses on community organizing, advocacy, and multimedia storytelling based out of San José, California. Through De-Bug's criminal justice community program, the Albert Cobarrubias Justice Project, they created "participatory defense.” Participatory defense is a community model that was developed for families whose
- [Milica Bogetić](https://civilrightscorps.org/team/milica-bogetic/): Milica Bogetić is an Investigator with the Federal Public Defender for the Western District of Pennsylvania. Previously, Milica served as an Investigator at the Nashville Defenders, the Legal Aid Society (New York City), and the Public Defender Service (Washington, DC). Milica earned a Masters in Labor Studies from the City University of New York; her

## Categories

- [Press Releases](https://civilrightscorps.org/category/press-releases/)

## Tags

- [Closed](https://civilrightscorps.org/tag/closed/)

## Issue Areas of Work

- [Bail](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/litigation_category/bail/)
- [Ending the Criminalization of Poverty](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/litigation_category/criminalization-of-poverty/)
- [Fighting COVID-19 in Jails](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/litigation_category/fighting-covid-19-in-jails/)
- [Pretrial Detention](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/litigation_category/pretrial-detention/)
- [Fines & Fees](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/litigation_category/fines-and-fees/)
- [Accountability](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/litigation_category/accountability/)
- [Prosecutors](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/litigation_category/prosecutors/)
- [Judges](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/litigation_category/judges/)
- [Police](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/litigation_category/police/)
- [Probation, Parole & Corrections](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/litigation_category/probation-parole-corrections/)
- [Ending Family Separation](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/litigation_category/ending-family-separation/)
- [Right To Hug](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/litigation_category/right-to-hug/)
- [Family Policing](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/litigation_category/family-policing/)

## State

- [Alabama](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/location/al/)
- [Arizona](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/location/az/)
- [California](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/location/ca/)
- [Colorado](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/location/co/)
- [Georgia](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/location/ga/)
- [Illinois](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/location/il/)
- [Louisiana](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/location/la/)
- [Maryland](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/location/md/)
- [Michigan](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/location/mi/)
- [Mississippi](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/location/ms/)
- [Missouri](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/location/mo/)
- [Nevada](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/location/nv/)
- [New York](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/location/ny/)
- [North Carolina](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/location/nc/)
- [Oklahoma](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/location/ok/)
- [Oregon](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/location/or/)
- [Pennsylvania](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/location/pa/)
- [Tennessee](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/location/tn/)
- [Texas](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/location/tx/)
- [District of Columbia](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/location/district-of-columbia/)

## Tags

- [Active](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/litigation_tag/active/)
- [Closed](https://civilrightscorps.org/case/litigation_tag/closed/)

## Team Category

- [Board](https://civilrightscorps.org/team/categories/board/)
- [Team](https://civilrightscorps.org/team/categories/team/)