NLG CHICAGO

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Action Alert! Oppose Anti-Protest Legislation in Illinois

Take Action Today to Oppose Anti-Protest Legislation in Illinois!
HB1633, the “Illinois Critical Infrastructure Bill” is currently in front of the Illinois Senate. The legislation is backed by the conservative lobbying group ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council) as a way to suppress climate justice protests. It will create new criminal offenses and increase penalties for “trespassing,” “interference” and “vandalism” at “Critical Infrastructures” like pipelines.
HB1633 was scheduled last minute for hearings TOMORROW, Tuesday, May 28, in the Criminal Law Committee and Subcommittee on CLEAR Compliance.
We, as the Chicago Chapter of NLG, have joined a coalition of other organizations opposed to HB1633.

Allied organizations are calling to take action today! Please fill out witness slips in OPPOSITION to this bill. The links to submit witness slips are below.

Hearing Notice For Criminal Law – 5/28/2019 10:01 AM
http://my.ilga.gov/WitnessSlip/Create/116175?committeeHearingId=17273&LegislationId=116175&LegislationDocumentId=147293

Hearing Notice For Subcommittee on CLEAR Compliance – 5/28/2019 10:00 AM
http://my.ilga.gov/WitnessSlip/Create/116175?committeeHearingId=17272&LegislationId=116175&LegislationDocumentId=147293&SCommittees5%2F30%2F2019-page=1&committeeid=0&chamber=S&nodays=7&_=1558651512971

In addition, please contact the Illinois Senators below, particularly if you are a constituent of any of the listed Senators.

The message is simple “The People of IL oppose HB1633 in any form” 

Senate President Cullerton’s office- (217) 782-2728

Members of the Criminal Law Committee:
District 52 Bennett (217) 782-2507
District 57 Belt (217) 782-5399
District 56 Crowe (217) 782-5247
District 10 Mulroe 217) 782-1035 
District 13 Peters (217) 782-5338

Also,send a “Thank You” for standing firm as a NO vote
Senator Sims (217) 782-3201
Senator Van Pelt (217) 782-6252 

For more background and information:

 

As part of National Lawyers Guild’s (NLG) mission to defend dissent and supporting human rights and environmental justice, NLG is opposed to bills like HB1633 that criminalize environmental activists.  At a national level, the NLG has publicly opposed similar “Critical Infrastructure” bills. NLG’s Director of Research and Education Traci Yoder has written about anti-protest bills like HB1633 and the broader attacks on the climate justice movement.
For more information on HB1633 and “Critical Infrastructure” bills like it:

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NLG Chicago Hosts PROMESA activists

In an April 25 forum co-sponsored by the Puerto Rican Agenda, the Chicago chapter of the National Lawyers Guild, the Puerto Rican Bar Association and the Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois, Rolando Emmanuelli Jiménez and Jessica Méndez Colberg presented to a receptive group of community leaders, lawyers and judges their “David” battle against the “Goliath” Fiscal Oversight and Management Board (“la junta”).

From their mighty two-lawyer office in Ponce, they recently succeeded in the First Circuit Court of Appeals, Aurelius Inv., LLC v. Puerto Rico, 2019 U.S. App. LEXIS 4645, which found unconstitutional the appointments of the seven board members. At the same time, they are opposing the junta’s application for a stay and its petition for a reversal at the U.S. Supreme Court level, Rolando and Jessica are litigating four other cases also challenging the constitutionality of PROMESA.

While they work in the courts, their main preoccupation is with the colonial nature of PROMESA and its devastating economic consequences for the people of Puerto Rico.

The legal community and others in the diaspora have much to offer our valiant colleagues, in the way of assisting with legal research and otherwise collaborating – and we have much to learn from them. Contact Rolando at rolando@emmanuelli.law, http://bufete-emmanuelli.com/.

 

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NLG CHI Demands: Move the CLE!

NLG Chicago, in partnership with the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, The Center for Constitutional Rights, and Palestine Legal, are demanding that the Chicago Bar Association’s March CLE conference be moved out of Jerusalem.  The National Lawyers Guild Chicago is deeply concerned that the Jerusalem CLE Conference discriminates against Chicago Bar members who would be denied the right to attend due to their religion, race or national origin, and lends legitimacy to Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land, in violation of international law.

Please sign our petition to move the CLE.

If you are a member of the Chicago Bar Association, please contact president Steven Elrod at steven.elrod@hklaw.com and tell him you want the CLE to be moved.

Read the full list of signatories to our letter.

Read our full letter to the Chicago Bar Association here.  NLG Letter to Chicago Bar Association.2.20.2019_Final

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DisOrientation 2018

(Dis)orientation is an annual city-wide student retreat hosted by the National Lawyers Guild of Chicago. This September, (Dis)orientation was held at The John Marshall Law School and included panels on surviving law school, finding internships and volunteer opportunities with progressive organizations, working as a people’s lawyer, and remaining accountable to communities.

Panelists included attorneys, activists, and organizers from Chicago Community Bond Fund, Raise the Floor Alliance, Uptown People’s Law Center, Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund, First Defense Legal Aid, Assata’s Daughters, and more. The daylong event began with a keynote address from Jan Susler of People’s Law Office and ended with a Legal Observer training from L.O. Coordinators Joseph Dicola and Michael Podgurski. Over 50 students, representing every Chicago law school and Northern Illinois University, attended.

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Thank You to our 2018 Annual Celebration Sponsors

A big THANK YOU to everyone who is sponsoring our 2018 Annual Celebration.  You make our work possible.

 

Sponsors

Peter Bustamante and Claudia Sainsot

Jim Fennerty

Law Offices of David S. Lipschultz

Donna Makowski

Mark and Jesse Stern

 

Activist Level Sponsors

Martha Biondi and James Thindwa

Kenneth N. Flaxman P. C.

Samantha Liskow and Matthew Robison

 

Mobilizer Level Sponsors

Sara Garber

Potter Bolaños

Uptown People’s Law Center

Loevy and Loevy

 

Revolutionary Level Sponsors

People’s Law Office

 

Our Annual Celebration is just a few days away on Friday, November 16th.  Buy tickets now at https://nlg2018.brownpapertickets.com 

 

Contact

637 S. Dearborn St., 3rd Floor
Chicago, IL 60605

chicago[@]nlg.org