NJP attorneys David Morales and Blanca Rodriguez participated in a forum intended to start discussions about sexual harassment in the agricultural workforce. Rodriguez said she sees three important factors for addressing sexual harassment or violence toward farm workers: litigation, education of workers so they know when to report inappropriate behavior, and an increase in services to keep victims safe and support their recovery.

NJP attorney Chelsea Hicks represents one of two sisters involved in lawsuits against Green Tree Loan Servicing for failing to honor home loan modifications. NJP Board member Omar Vicente Barraza’s office is representing the other sister.  

Studies from Washington state, Baltimore, and New York all confirm that LGBTQ people face many of the same struggles as others living in poverty. However, the combination of being both poor and LGBTQ creates a unique set of challenges, limiting their ability to escape poverty. 

The King County Sheriff’s Office disbanded its Domestic Violence Investigations Unit in 2009 due to budget cuts, but since the unit was re-formed in 2015, prosecutors have so far this year noticed a spike in the number of felony cases being referred for charges.

For the past two years, Spokane Public Schools has been overhauling how it handles student discipline.
 
The goal is to suspend and expel fewer students, and focus on communication with students and better training for staff.
 
All Washington schools are moving in the same direction under a new state law that limits long-term suspension and expulsion to certain serious behavior, including possession of weapons, gang activity, sexual offenses and the use of drugs or alcohol.

The recently released 2015 Washington State Civil Legal Needs Study Update reveals a sharp increase in the average number of civil legal problems facing low-income people – from 3 to more than 9 per year – since the original 2003 Supreme Court study.