Attorney General Merrick B. Garland Delivers Remarks at the Legal Services Corporation’s 50th Anniversary Gala

Remarks as Delivered

Thanks Rachel, for that overly generous introduction.

It’s very nice to be among friends.

And I don’t take that word lightly. I’ve been friends with John Levi and Ron Flagg for much of my professional life. And looking over the list of Legal Services Corporation (LSC) leaders and board members and the even co-chairs of this event, I see other friends stretching back all the way to law school and college.

I suppose that’s no coincidence. A core element of friendship is often a shared commitment to fundamental values. I am proud to share my LSC friends’ unwavering commitment to making equal access to justice a reality for all Americans.

So, 50 years.

Some of us in this room remember when there was doubt that LSC would ever get off the ground. There was serious doubt that it would make it to its 10th anniversary. And doubt again that it would survive much past its 20th.

But survive it did, and here we are at 50.

Not only did LSC survive, it flourished. In FY 2023, Congress appropriated the highest-ever amount to LSC.

Not what you requested. Not what you need. But a lot better than the bad old days of dramatic funding cuts and the threat of zero funding.

LSC’s success has been due to the extraordinary stewardship, over many years, of its chairs, presidents, boards, and partners — and to their ability to help others from across the political spectrum see that the health of our democracy depends on its progress toward equal access to justice.

The Department of Justice is honored to be your partner in that effort.

Fulfilling the promise of equal justice under law is core to our mission at the Justice Department. And fulfilling that promise demands that we, too, work to ensure equal access to justice. For without equal access to justice, the promise of equal justice rings hollow.

As part of the Justice Department’s effort, we have restored, as Rachel said, our stand-alone Office for Access to Justice.

That office is led exceptionally well led by Rachel Rossi. It is now composed of more than 40 attorneys and staff. It houses the Federal Government Pro Bono Program, the Justice Department’s first-ever language access coordinator, and attorneys and staff with expertise in criminal indigent defense, immigration, veterans’ issues, and other matters.

Its mission is to work in partnership with those on the front lines to identify and address the most urgent legal needs of communities across America. As part of its work, the office also administers the Legal Aid Interagency Roundtable, of which LSC is a partner.

I’m very proud of the work that the Office for Access to Justice is doing.

We gather at a time when protecting the Rule of Law is as urgent as it has ever been. Public faith in the Rule of Law depends in no small part on public faith that our system will ensure equal justice under law. And that faith, in turn, depends on there being equal access to justice.

And equal access, in turn, depends on the work and expertise of LSC and its grantees — the thousands of professionals who do the difficult and demanding work of providing legal services to those in need.

We know there is so much more work to do.

Too many Americans still cannot afford legal services.

And for too many Americans, not being able to afford a lawyer still means the difference between providing for their families or losing their jobs; having a roof over their head or losing their home; putting food on the table or going hungry.

And so, for too many Americans, the promise of equal justice under law has yet to be fulfilled.

But for 50 years, LSC has been moving our country closer to fulfilling that promise and lowering barriers to justice.

On behalf of the Justice Department, I want to thank you for your work and for your tireless advocacy.

On behalf of myself, personally, I want to thank you for reminding us — all of us — why we do this work. It is because we believe in the power of the law to protect one another, and to protect our democracy.

Congratulations on your anniversary. Here’s to the next 50 years.