Past Cases & Projects

Securing a CBC for Residents of Southwest Philly

The Refinery Explosion In Southwest Philadelphia, community members were accustomed to stuffing towels and blankets under their doors to keep the stench of chemicals out of their houses. Mere blocks away from the old Philadelphia Energy Solutions (PES) plant, the largest oil refinery on the East Coast, the neighborhood had been plagued by birth complications, […]

Securing safe and decent housing for residents of Columbus Property Management

Columbus Property Management is a publicly subsidized nonprofit tasked with providing decent, safe, and affordable housing for vulnerable populations across Philadelphia, including low-income tenants and tenants with disabilities. On June 7, 2024, in partnership with Holland and Knight, we brought suit on behalf of nine residents across three Columbus apartment complexes, alleging various security failures, […]

Representing Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club

We represented Fletcher Street as they worked with city officials and other stakeholders to find a new space that would serve the needs of their volunteers, the community they had built for decades, and their horses. 

Count every vote: Provisional ballots in Delaware County

We’re standing up for Pennsylvanians to make their voice heard, representing voters in Delaware County who were disenfranchised when the county board of elections rejected their provisional ballots.

Taking on Unlawful Restrictions on COVID-19 Emergency Relief for Business Owners with Criminal Records

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress passed the CARES Act, including provisions for the Small Business Administration (SBA) to issue $350 billion in loans and grants to aid small businesses. Aid was provided through two programs, the Paycheck Protection Program and the Economic Injury Disaster Loans program. While the CARES Act passed by Congress […]

Protecting Our Right to Vote in 2020

Amid a once-a-century pandemic and a drumbeat of misinformation and threats from prominent national politicians, we have spent 2020 protecting the right to vote in Pennsylvania.

Taking on Gun Safety Preemption in Pennsylvania

An initiative of the Richard Berkman & Toni Seidl Health Care Justice Project. UPDATE November 20, 2024  — The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania the Court ruled that Firearm Preemption laws are not unconstitutional. In its opinion, the Court acknowledged the unacceptable state of gun violence, and the tragic ways it has impacted many Pennsylvania residents. […]

Philadelphia Federal Detention Center detainees file class action lawsuit demanding protection from COVID-19

An initiative of the Richard Berkman & Toni Seidl Health Care Justice Project. UPDATE July 8, 2021 — Prisoners in FDC Philadelphia have concluded their case. The agreement to end the case comes after the FDC has made COVID-19 vaccination freely available to all prisoners and staff and has agreed to show all prisoners a video […]

Taking on Gun Violence in Philadelphia

An initiative of the Richard Berkman & Toni Seidl Health Care Justice Project. In Philadelphia, gun violence is an epidemic. In 2018, in addition to the 249 Philadelphians killed in shootings, over 1,100 people were shot and survived, leaving many with lifelong disabilities. This violence does not affect everyone in the city equally: nearly 85 […]

Ending Prison Gerrymandering

When prisoners are counted in their cells during the redistricting process–rather than their hometowns–political power shifts from urban and predominantly minority communities to rural and white ones where prisons are located. We’re advocating for an end to prison gerrymandering in Pennsylvania.