Arkansas Judge Sued for ‘Debtors’ Prison’
A class action filed Thursday accuses an Arkansas district court judge of running an illegal ‘debtors’ prison’ that punishes residents with jail time and fines for being poor.
Read morepoverty
Poor Plaintiffs Win Right to Free Court Reporter in California
Needy civil litigants who cannot afford to hire a private court reporter are still entitled to have one provided for them, California Supreme Court ruled Thursday.
Read moreDC Ordered to Get Food-Stamp Program in Shape
Officials who administer food stamps in the District of Columbia must divert resources to improve how the agency processes applications, a federal judge ruled Thursday
Read moreGerman Food Bank Reverses Move to Bar More Foreigners
A food bank in western Germany has reversed a 3-month old decision to prevent more foreigners from accessing its services, a move that drew criticism from aid groups and politicians.
Read moreCourt Skewered for Jailing of Indigent NJ Litterbugs
A federal judge issued a blistering condemnation Friday of a New Jersey court that unconstitutionally jails people who cannot pay littering fines.
Read moreVaccines Could Prevent 36 Million Deaths by 2030
Vaccines could save as many as 36 million lives and avert roughly 24 million cases of medical impoverishment in 41 low- and middle-income nations between by 2030, a new study finds.
Read morePoll: Most Americans Say Uncle Sam Neglects Elderly & Poor
Most Americans believe the federal government does not do enough to help the elderly, poor people and the middle class, the Pew Research Center reported Tuesday, and a majority also says the wealthy get too much support.
Read moreVenezuelans ‘Loot to Eat’ Amid Economic Tailspin
Sporadic looting, food riots and protests driven by the hungry poor have surged in Venezuela, a country that’s no stranger to unrest. But the uprisings playing out recently have a different face than the mostly middle-class protesters who took to the streets for months last year in political demonstrations trying to oust President Nicolas Maduro.
Read moreFederal Judge Asks Houston Courts for Some Answers
The federal judge who forced Texas’ biggest county to overhaul its bail system ordered Harris County criminal judges on Tuesday to prove they did not withhold evidence of policies against releasing poor misdemeanor defendants from jail.
Read moreSuing Dallas
Dallas County, its sheriffs and judges are the latest to face a federal class action accusing them of unconstitutionally jailing poor people before trial because they cannot afford to pay bail for misdemeanors.
Read moreTrump Opens Way for Medicaid Work Requirement
In a major policy shift that could affect millions of low-income people, the Trump administration said Thursday it is offering a path for states that want to seek work requirements on Medicaid recipients.
Read more
St. Louis Suburb Must Face Class-Action Claims of Debtors’ Prison
A St. Louis suburb’s bid to dismiss allegations that it repeatedly jails low-income residents when they cannot pay traffic fines faltered Monday when a federal judge ruled that five former detainees can proceed with civil rights claims against the city.
Read more
Macron Unveils Plan to Boost French Youth, Fight Extremism
President Emmanuel Macron says the French government itself fueled homegrown Islamic extremism by abandoning its poorest neighborhoods — and he’s promising tough and “sometimes authoritarian” new measures to combat radicalization.
Read moreNational Fund Will Help Bail Defendants Out of Jail
A national effort is launching to help low-income defendants get out of jail by bailing them out as their criminal cases progress through the courts.
Read moreFeds Sued for Delaying Housing Rule Meant to Help Poor Families
Civil rights groups claim the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s decision to delay mandated changes to the housing voucher program will unlawfully limit housing options available to low-income families who rely on the program.
Read moreStates Sue Trump Over Scrapping of Key Obamacare Subsidies
Eighteen states and the District of Columbia sued the Trump administration Friday over the president’s decision to scrap subsidies to health insurance companies that help cover the out-of-pocket medical costs of low-income Americans.
Read moreConnecticut Governor Assailed for Education Cuts
Opposing reductions in education funding they say will put “children’s futures at risk,” Connecticut’s largest teachers union and three communities asked a court Wednesday to enjoin the governor.
Read moreStudy Finds Partisan Gap on Political Values at All-Time High
The partisan divide on fundamental political values – including attitudes about race, immigration and the social safety net – reached record levels during Barack Obama’s presidency, but that gap has grown even wider in Donald Trump’s first year as president, according to a study released Thursday.
Read more