Legal aid lawyers and public defenders have played key roles in many major cases. These cases have protected the interests and rights of the poor through judicial decisions. This website compiles key cases in lists that are easy to filter and search.
Federal first: Due to limited resources, the Consortium has started with federal cases, mostly from the US Supreme Court. We invite suggestions for additional federal cases, civil and criminal, that meet our criteria and that we may consider adding. We also welcome suggestions for state cases (see state cases for more info).
Data field notes
Win/Loss — Consortium’s judgment of whether case is win/loss/mixed for poverty law advocates.
State of origin — For federal cases, this is the state where the case originated — the parties lived in that state and the case may have begun in that state’s courts.
Table of contents
All: Important cases (federal & state)