By Shana-Tara O’Toole and Tray Brown | Due Process Institute
“I appreciate you.”
These three simple words are Ted Lasso’s favorite catchphrase. Although it may seem like the quirk of a fictional character, it reminds us of something important: to express our gratitude for people and not just their work. In a world where a global pandemic inches toward 24 months and where we are still mostly separated from our colleagues, it’s arguably never been more important to affirm this distinction. We don’t just appreciate the work of the amazing organizations we partner with; we appreciate the people that make it all possible too.
We Appreciate Our Advocacy Partners.
We express thanks for the following organizations who joined Due Process Institute in advocacy letters, amicus briefs, and/or one of our lobbying campaigns. This list contains almost 400 organizations that not only span the political spectrum but which represent an incredibly diverse array of communities and missions. Each of these groups have joined us this year in the fight for a better, fairer criminal legal system. We are incredibly grateful for every coalition partner we’ve worked with in 2021 and we recognize that their contributions will last far beyond this year alone. Therefore, on this Thanksgiving Day, we express our gratitude for each of the following organizations and the many people who make their work possible:
Coalition for Public Safety
Justice Action Network
FAMM
Innocence Project
National Association for Public Defense
Cato Institute
Black Public Defender Association
Reason Foundation
Federal Public and Community Defenders
American Civil Liberties Union; ACLU of Kentucky; ACLU of Massachusetts
Dream Corps JUSTICE (formerly #cut50)
Drug Policy Alliance
National Legal Aid & Defender Association
Faith and Freedom Coalition
Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law
NAACP
FreedomWorks
Prison Fellowship
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
R Street Institute
The Sentencing Project
Tzedek Association
American Conservative Union Foundation
Demand Progress
Faith and Freedom Coalition
Fair Trials
REFORM Alliance
Right on Crime
The Justice Roundtable
Electronic Frontier Foundation
S.T.O.P. – The Surveillance Technology Oversight Project
Amnesty International
UC Berkeley Policy Advocacy Clinic
Juvenile Law Center
Fines and Fees Justice Center
Center for American Progress
Institute for Justice
Safe Streets & Second Chances
Civil Rights Corps
Buried Alive Project
Clause 40 Foundation
Americans for Prosperity
Americans for Tax Reform
DKT Liberty Project
National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
Aleph Institute
CAN-DO Clemency
New Civil Liberties Alliance
ALEC Action
Center for Democracy & Technology
Digital Liberty
Independence Institute
Taking Action for Good Foundation
Association of Prosecuting Attorneys
Fair and Just Prosecution
Law Enforcement Action Partnership
Human Rights Watch
Law Enforcement Leaders to Reduce Crime & Incarceration
Major Cities Chiefs Association
National District Attorneys Association
The Council of State Governments Justice Center
Georgia Center for Opportunity
Jesuit Conference, Office of Justice and Ecology
Catholic Mobilizing Network
Catholic Prison Ministries Coalition
Center for Public Justice
National Latino Evangelical Coalition
Pegasus Institute
Empower Mississippi
Taxpayers Protection Alliance
Color of Change
Florida Rights Restoration Coalition
The Fortune Society
FWD.us
Galaxy Gives
Ladies of Hope Ministries
MoveOn
Safer Foundation
The Taifa Group
Vera Institute of Justice
Asian Americans Advancing Justice
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington
Defending Rights & Dissent
Demand Progress Education Fund
Electronic Privacy Information Center
Government Information Watch
National Coalition Against Censorship
New America’s Open Technology Institute
Open The Government
Project On Government Oversight
Project for Privacy and Surveillance Accountability
Public Knowledge
Restore The Fourth
TechFreedom
The Digital Democracy Project
About Face: Veterans Against the War
ACCESS of WNY
Action Center on Race & the Economy
Advocacy for Principled Action in Government
American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee
American Friends Service Committee
American Humanist Association
American Muslim Bar Association
Arab American Institute
Arab Resource & Organizing Center
Bend the Arc: Jewish Action
Beyond the Bomb
Borderlands for Equity
Bridges Faith Initiative
Center for Civilians in Conflict
Church of Scientology National Affairs Office
Church World Service
CODEPINK
Common Defense
Council on American-Islamic Relations
Daily Kos
Empowering Pacific Islander Communities
Episcopal Peace Fellowship
Faith in Public Life
Freedom Network USA
Friends Committee on National Legislation
Grassroots Global Justice Alliance
Historians for Peace and Democracy
Human Rights First
ICNA Council for Social Justice
Japanese American Citizens League
Jetpac Resource Center, Inc.
Just Futures Law
Justice For Muslims Collective
Keystone Progress
Labor Against Racism and War
La Union del Pueblo Entero
Muslim Justice League
National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA
National Education Association
National Immigrant Justice Center
National Iranian American Council Action
National Network for Immigrant & Refugee Rights
NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice
New Internationalism Project at the Institute for Policy Studies
Our Revolution
Oxfam America
Pax Christi USA
Peace Action; Massachusetts Peace Action
Poligon Education Fund
Presente.org
Progressive Democrats of America
Project Blueprint
Public Citizen
Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft
Rethinking Foreign Policy
Revolutionary Love Project
RootsAction.org
Secure Families Initiative
Sierra Club
Sikh Coalition
Southern Anti-Racism Network
Southern Border Communities Coalition
Sunrise Movement
The Advocates for Human Rights
Tunisian United Network
Unitarian Universalist Service Committee
United Church of Christ, Justice and Witness Ministries
The United Methodist Church – General Board of Church and Society
US Campaign for Palestinian Rights
US Council of Muslim Organizations
Veterans for American Ideals
Veterans For Peace
Washington Against Nuclear Weapons
Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility
Win Without War
Wind of the Spirit Immigrant Resource Center
Women for Weapons Trade Transparency
Women’s Action for New Directions
World BEYOND War
X-Lab
Yemeni Alliance Committee
Yemen Relief and Reconstruction Foundation
A Little Piece Of Light
A New PATH (Parents for Addiction Treatment & Healing)
AIDS United
Alliance for Living
AMERSA, Inc.
Arizona Recovers
Arkansas Community Organizations
Autistic Self Advocacy Network
Baltimore Harm Reduction Coalition
Being Alive – LA
Black and Pink Massachusetts
Black Led Organizing Collaborative
Bright Heart Health
California Society of Addiction Medicine
CARMAhealth
Casa de Salud
Cascade AIDS Project
Center for Disability Rights
Center for Embodied Spirituality
Center for Living and Learning
Center for Optimal Living
Center for Popular Democracy
Central Texas Harm Reduction
Centro Latino Americano
College & Community Fellowship
Community Alliance on Prisons
Community Catalyst
Community Health Project LA
Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, U.S. Provinces
CURE
DanceSafe
De-escalate Ohio Now HeartbeatMovement Incorporated
Desiree Alliance
Drug Policy Forum of Hawaii
Elevyst
Exponents Inc.
EYEJ: Empowering Youth, Exploring Justice
Faith in Public Life
Florida Harm Reduction Collective
Friends of Guest House
Friends of Safehouse
GLIDE
GoodWorks: North AL Harm Reduction
GRASP / Broken No More
Harm Reduction Action Center
Harm Reduction Ohio
Harm Reduction Sisters
Harm Reduction Therapy Center
Hawaii Health & Harm Reduction Center
Healing Equity and Liberation Organization
Health Equity Alliance
HealthRIGHT 360
Hep Free Hawaii
Hepatitis C Mentor And Support Group
HIPS
Hoosier Action
Housing Works
IBW-ACTION
Idaho Harm Reduction Project
Jewish Council for Public Affairs
Justice Strategies
JustLeadershipUSA
LA Community Health Project
LatinoJustice PRLDEF
Live4Lali
Maine Drug Policy Lab at Colby College
Maine People’s Alliance
Martinez Harm Reduction Collective
Muid and Muid Associates
NASTAD
National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd
National Association of Social Workers
National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence; National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence-Maryland
National Employment Law Project
National Harm Reduction Coalition
National Health Care for the Homeless Council
National Immigration Project
New Jersey Policy Perspective
NEXT Harm Reduction / NEXT Distro
Nurses for Responsible Healthcare
Ohio Families Unite Against Police Brutality
Ohio Transformation Fund
Ohio Women’s Alliance
Open Aid Alliance
Oregon Working Families Party
P.A.I.N.
Partnership for Safety and Justice
Peer Network Of New York
People’s Action
Rights & Democracy New Hampshire; Rights & Democracy Vermont
River Valley Organizing / UnHarming Ohio
Showing Up for Racial Justice Ohio
Southern Poverty Law Center Action Fund
Southern Tier AIDS Program
Sponsors, Inc.
SSDP UC Berkeley
St. Ann’s Corner of Harm Reduction
St. James Infirmary
StoptheDrugWar.org
Students for Sensible Drug Policy; Minneapolis Students for Sensible Drug Policy
Substance Use Policy, Education, and Recovery PAC
Texas Criminal Justice Coalition
The Levenson Foundation
The Mountain Center
The People’s Harm Reduction Alliance
The Perfectly Flawed Foundation
The Seven Challenges
Transgender Resource Center of New Mexico
Transitions Clinic Network
Truth Pharm
Tulane University
Unitarian Universalist Justice Ohio
Unity Fellowship of Christ Church NYC
Urban Survivors Union
VICTA
Virginia Harm Reduction Coalition
Vivent Health
VOCAL-NY; VOCAL-WA
Washington Office on Latin America
Wilkes Recovery Revolution
WV Citizen Action
Campaign for Liberty
Center for Security, Race and Rights
Constitutional Alliance
Fight for the Future
Free Press Action
Freedom of the Press Foundation
OCA – Asian Pacific American Advocates, Greater Chicago Chapter
Secure Justice
Access Now
American Society of Journalists and Authors
Americans for Financial Reform
Demos
Free Speech Coalition
Media Freedom Foundation
MediaJustice
MPower Change
PEN America
Project Censored
Woodhull Freedom Foundation
WE GOT US NOW
Center for Constitutional Rights
Government Accountability Project
Protect The 1st
Youth, Rights & Justice
National Center for Youth Law
National Juvenile Defender Center
Colorado Criminal Defense Bar
The Center for Victims of Torture
Clean Elections Texas
DemCast USA
Equal Justice Society
Mainers for Accountable Leadership
Protect Democracy
RepresentUs New Mexico
Stand Up America
Southern Center for Human Rights
The Black Police Experience
Center for Employment Opportunities
Legal Action Center
Life for Pot
Mommie Activist and Sons
National Association of Black Law Enforcement Officers
National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice
National Black Justice Coalition
The Center for Community Transitions
DC Democratic Caucus for Returning Citizens
Doing The Most for You
#LetMyPeopleGoNow! Campaign
Prison Families Anonymous
Rebuilding Independence My Style
Release Aging People in Prison/RAPP
Union for Reform Judaism
WCJA
American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
The LIBRE Initiative
Fraternal Order of Police
Vision Zero Network
Braxton Institute
Breaking Chains
Coalition for Jubilee Clemency
The Daniel Initiative
Inner Voices, Inc.
National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls
Until Freedom
VDay
National Taxpayers Union
Goldwater Institute
National Motorists Association
American Commitment
First Step Alliance
National Incarceration Association
North Carolina for Rational Sexual Offense Laws
Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America
Wilson Center for Science and Justice
Justice Policy Institute
American Family Voices
Center for International Policy
Courage California
Engage Action
Environmentalists Against War
GovTrack.us
Issue One
Lincoln Network
Downsize DC
FracTracker Alliance
Free Press Action
Institute for Policy Studies New Internationalism Project
Open Media & Information Companies Initiative
Palestine Legal
Partnership for Civil Justice Fund
ReThinking Foreign Policy
Security Policy Reform Institute
We Appreciate Our Litigation Partners.
Although we celebrated #ProBonoWeek in October, one week is not sufficient to express our gratitude and appreciation for the lawyers and law firms who help our organization support many more critical criminal legal cases with amicus briefs than we could on our own. These amazing attorneys dedicated their time, talent, and legal services to provide pro bono representation in order to advance the principles of due process and we thank the following profusely for contributing to our mission in this important way:
John Cline for his work on Aposhian v. Garland, Campbell v. United States, and Cargill v. Garland
Barry Boss, Kara Kapp, and Catherine Yun of Cozen O’Connor for their work on Scott v. Arnold
Timothy O’Toole and Katherine Pappas of Miller & Chevalier for their work on Santana v. Maryland, United States v. Jakes-Johnson, and Allen, et. al. v. Edwards
Kendall Turner, Michael Dreeben, Bradley Garcia, and Bruce Pettig of O’Melveny Myers for their work on Concepcion v. United States and Woodard v. United States
Theodore Howard, Boyd Garriott, and Lukman Azeez of Wiley Rein for their work on Broadway v. United States
Jessica Ring Amunson and Caroline Cease of Jenner & Block for their work on Ringland v. United States, Miller v. United States, and Lange v. California
Chloé Chetta of Barrasso Usdin Kupperman Freeman and Sarver for her work on Allen, et. al. v. Edwards
Catherine Simonsen and Gordon-Alexander Wille of White & Case for their work on Nelson v. Minnesota
Harvey Sepler of Alvarez Gonzalez & Partners for his work on Florida v. Garcia
Thomas Burns for his work on Tribue v. United States
Vincent Levy, Daniel Sullivan, and Greg Dubinsky of Holwell Shuster & Goldberg for their work on Rosales-Gonzalez v. United States
Chris Swift and David Gossett of Davis Wright Tremaine for their work on Federal Bureau of Investigation v. Fazaga
Patrick Lee-O’Halloran of Thompson Tarasek Lee-O’Halloran for his work on Thom v. Barnett
A Final Note of Appreciation.
This #GratitudePost would not be complete without recognizing the people who transform Due Process Institute’s mission into res, non verba: “deeds, not words.” The leadership of our incredible Board Members and the tireless work of our inspiring bipartisan staff make our work possible, as do the many people and institutions who generously support our mission in ways great and small.
The number of people and institutions named in this post is almost overwhelming and the contributions of each and every individual and organization named is proof positive of the positive change we can all achieve when a diverse collective of people join together to advocate for a better criminal legal system, for stronger communities, and for human dignity and fundamental fairness. Thank you. We appreciate you. EACH of you. And we look forward to all the work together to come!