Press Releases Archive

The Justice Department’s Office for Access to Justice today announced the launch of the Access to Justice Prize, a year-long prize competition that aims to foster innovative solutions to address critical gaps in access to justice across the United States. The inaugural competition will focus on access to justice gaps faced by rural communities across the country, aiming to advance general public awareness about rural access to justice gaps; prompt and support the development of new and innovative solutions; and promote the replication and expansion of strategies that work.

Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and White House Counsel Ed Siskel co-chaired a convening of the Legal Aid Interagency Roundtable (LAIR) today where they announced the issuance of the 2024 LAIR Report. Attorney General Garland discussed the report and the role that data and research play in advancing access to justice through federal policymaking and government actions. The Department’s Office for Access to Justice (ATJ), which leads the work of LAIR, facilitated the convening. LAIR also announced that in 2025 its interagency work and report will focus on federal agency efforts and

Director Rachel Rossi of the Office for Access to Justice traveled to San Francisco to deliver the keynote address at the Pathways to Justice Conference, a statewide legal services conference held every three years. The engagement included meetings on access to justice issues and initiatives happening in Northern California.

Director Rachel Rossi of the Office for Access to Justice (ATJ) traveled to Kansas this week to engage with stakeholders about the access to justice challenges rural communities face and to discuss innovative solutions. The visit built upon the ongoing work of ATJ to address the rural access to justice gap in the United States.

The Justice Department’s Office for Access to Justice (ATJ) today hosted this quarter’s convening with national public defense organizations. ATJ Director Rachel Rossi, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Civil Rights Division, Administrator Liz Ryan of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Acting Assistant Attorney General Brent Cohen of the Office of Justice Programs and Director Nancy La Vigne of the National Institute of Justice delivered remarks for the convening on the topic of youth defense. Department officials affirmed the Justice Department’s

Yesterday marked the 24th anniversary of Executive Order 13166, “Improving Access to Services for Persons with Limited English Proficiency.” At its core, the Order acknowledges the fundamental principle that the federal government must be able to understand and communicate with all people in the United States, including those with limited English proficiency (LEP), to keep our country and communities safe and prosperous.

This past week, Acting Associate Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer and Director Rachel Rossi of the Office for Access to Justice participated in the United Nations (UN) High Level Political Forum in New York as part of the official U.S. delegation to the Forum. The UN High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development is a platform for the review of progress on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Goals of the Agenda at a global level. This year, the Forum focused on UN Sustainable Development Goal 16 (SDG 16), among other goals. The Office for Access to Justice is mandated

Director Rachel Rossi of the Office for Access to Justice (ATJ) traveled to Los Angeles last week to engage access to justice stakeholders and deliver the commencement address at Le Lycée Franҫais de Los Angeles.

The Justice Department announced the launch of Access DOJ, a new and innovative Department-wide initiative led by the Office for Access to Justice (ATJ) that will use human-centered design to improve access to Justice Department programs and services for all communities and stakeholders.

On Thursday, June 6, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and Acting Associate Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer convened the Justice Department’s Reproductive Rights Task Force (RRTF) to discuss the Department’s ongoing work to protect reproductive freedoms under federal law. The RRTF, which is chaired by Acting Associate Attorney General Mizer, was created in July 2022, following the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.  

Director Rachel Rossi of the Justice Department’s Office for Access to Justice (ATJ) traveled to Connecticut this week as part of the office’s mission to ensure access to justice across the civil justice system, to expand access to counsel and to support innovative efforts to improve the judiciary and court administration. As part of the visit, Director Rossi met with U.S. Attorney Vanessa Avery for the District of Connecticut to applaud her leadership on access to justice issues in the state and to discuss future collaboration.

To commemorate National Public Defense Day, the Justice Department’s Office for Access to Justice (ATJ) announced the launch of the Public Defense Resource Hub (PD Hub), a one-stop shop with comprehensive resources and materials to support individuals and organizations involved in public defense. The PD Hub will collect existing resources for professionals providing public defense services, public defense commissions, and related organizations from across the federal government and develop additional tools to help defenders access necessary resources, research, and guidance to support the