June 30, 2026– Following intervention by Common Cause, the League of Women Voters, and individual Pennsylvania voters, a federal judge dismissed the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) lawsuit to obtain sensitive voter data in Pennsylvania. The civil rights groups, represented by the ACLU, the ACLU of Pennsylvania, and the Public Interest Law Center, intervened in the lawsuit by DOJ in October 2025. “The Constitution entrusts states, not the federal government, […]
Since 2020, Philadelphia’s Fair Workweek law has required larger employers in the retail, service, and hospitality sectors to provide predictable work schedules to low-wage employees. Its requirements include advance notice of schedules, compensation for schedule changes, and a right to rest between shifts. The law has been used to bring claims against employers who violated […]
Landlord Retaliated Against Prominent Tenant Leader in Lease Nonrenewal, Says Philadelphia Fair Housing Commission Alden Park ruling is city’s first known case of a tenant organizer successfully proving that eviction was due to participation in a tenant association. May 13, 2026 – Yesterday, in a victory for the city’s growing tenant organizing movement, the Philadelphia […]
On February 13, 2026, the Law Center submitted comments opposing the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s proposal to eliminate its disparate impact regulations under the Fair Housing Act. Disparate impact refers to policies that appear neutral on their face but disproportionately harm people based on protected characteristics such as race, national origin, sex, or disability without sufficient justification. The […]
The Private Detective Act, a 1953 state law, barred anyone who has ever been convicted of any felony and a long list of misdemeanors from working in security for life, with no exceptions March 5, 2026 – Last week, the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas ruled that the state Private Detective Act’s lifetime employment ban […]
Ceasefire-PA Education Fund, represented by the Public Interest Law Center, filed an amicus brief in February 2026 in support of a state law that requires individuals to have a license to openly carry a firearm. The defendant in this case was caught carrying a firearm in Kensington without a permit, and he argues that the […]
The Law Center works to reduce barriers to employment for individuals with criminal records who are disproportionately people of color and who routinely face discrimination in the workforce for decades after they have successfully completed their sentences. Rodney Phath had applied for a truck driving position with Central Transport and disclosed an old, unrelated, criminal […]
The Law Center has signed onto an amicus brief in the Third Circuit in Y.C.Q. v. Chichester School District. The brief, authored by the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA), is in defense of an important procedural right under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and in support of a high school student […]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 3, 2025 Philadelphia – Today, three residents of Upsal Garden, a 144-unit sprawling, aging apartment complex in Mt. Airy, filed a class action lawsuit against the property owners and Real Properties, a company that manages twenty properties across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Florida, including approximately 1,000 rental units in Philadelphia. In […]
Update June 29, 2026 On June 27, 2026, a federal court dismissed the DOJ’s lawsuit. Read more here. October 10 , 2025 – The League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania, Common Cause, and seven Pennsylvania voters announced their move to intervene in United States v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, a lawsuit the Department of Justice brought against […]
