The National Center for Law and Economic Justice (NCLEJ)

@nclej.bsky.social

549 Followers 26 Following

NCLEJ advances racial, economic, and disability justice through high-impact litigation, policy advocacy, and support for grassroots organizing. Everyone deserves to thrive, not just survive. www.nclej.org

A graphic with the words "together we stand with SPLC." The graphic includes historical images of protesters from the Civil Rights Era.
A blue gradient graphic featuring a photo of the Martin Luther King, Jr. monument. A quote from MLK reads: “Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle.”
Contingency Funds to Prevent Lapse in SNAP Benefits. Due to the ongoing government shutdown, and the USDA’s refusal to tap into its contingency funding, food stamp benefits for over 40 million people are set to lapse at the end of this week. And nearly 40% of them are children. NCLEJ is closely monitoring the situation for our low-income clients in states where we are actively litigating against ongoing SNAP delays, including New York, Alaska, Georgia and Missouri. In a shameful display of callousness toward the millions of families that rely on SNAP benefits to put food on the table, the Trump administration has signaled its willingness to allow this preventable emergency to jeopardize the well-being of Americans all across the country. NCLEJ joins SNAP advocates around the nation in urging the USDA to release their emergency contingency funds to prevent a lapse in SNAP benefits this November. This is an extremely precarious moment for the low-income communities that NCLEJ serves around the country. SNAP is an invaluable lifeline of economic support that helps tens of millions of people stave off severe hunger and poverty each year, and we are fighting every day for our clients’ rights to these life-saving resources.
A blue graphic featuring a photo of Jason D. Williamson. The text reads “Welcome! Jason D. Williamson joins NCLEJ as Executive Director. Jason joined NCLEJ in August 2025 as Executive Director. Prior to NCLEJ, he served as Executive Director at NYU School of Law’s Center on Race, Inequality and Law, spent more than 10 years as a staff attorney and deputy director with the ACLU’s Criminal Law Reform Project, and served at the law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP. Jason began his legal career in New Orleans in the months following Hurricane Katrina, first as a staff attorney for the Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana, and later as a founding member of the Louisiana Center for Children’s Rights (f.k.a. Juvenile Regional Services).”
A blue graphic highlighting NCLEJ’s 2025 Justice Maker Awards. The graphic features six photos of this year’s honorees, including Lisa Martinez Wolmart of Prudential Financial, Donna Hylton of A Little Piece of Light, Audrey Johnson of A Little Piece of Light, Jalil Muntaqim of Citizen Action NY, Wilfredo Laracuente of Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow, and Martin Garcia of The Marshall Project.
A blue graphic highlighting NCLEJ’s 2025 Justice Maker Awards. The graphic features six photos of this year’s honorees, including Lisa Martinez Wolmart of Prudential Financial, Donna Hylton of A Little Piece of Light, Audrey Johnson of A Little Piece of Light, Jalil Muntaqim of Citizen Action NY, Wilfredo Laracuente of Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow, and Martin Garcia of The Marshall Project.
A green graphic with the text “No more slavery for forced labor in NYS.”
A gradient graphic with deep shades of blue and a photo of lady justice in the background. The text reads “RSVP Today! NCLEJ Justice Maker Awards 2025 60th Anniversary Celebration. Tuesday, May 13, 2025. Cocktail Hour from 6 PM to 7 PM. Awards ceremony from 7 PM to 9 PM. Location at Current, 59 Chelsea Piers, New York, NY 10011.
A gradient graphic with deep shades of blue and a photo of lady justice in the background. The text reads “RSVP Today! NCLEJ Justice Maker Awards 2025 60th Anniversary Celebration. Tuesday, May 13, 2025. Cocktail Hour from 6 PM to 7 PM. Awards ceremony from 7 PM to 9 PM. Location at Current, 59 Chelsea Piers, New York, NY 10011.
A blue graphic featuring a photo of Tripti Poddar, NCLEJ Staff Attorney. The text reads: “Welcome! Tripti Poddar joins NCLEJ as staff attorney. Tripti Poddar is a staff attorney at NCLEJ. In this capacity, she works at the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, as well as at the Fair Food Standards Council. Before this, Tripti litigated at the Supreme Court of India and state High Courts. She also consulted on implementation of the legal empowerment model with non-profits in India, including serving as the Legal Officer at Nazdeek for 5 years. In court, she has represented Rohingya refugees, housing disenfranchised communities, tea plantation workers, and other marginalized communities on a range of issues, including access to socioeconomic rights”
A blue graphic highlighting NCLEJ’s 2025 Spring Gala. The event will honor Lisa Martinez Wolmart, Chief Legal Office of Global Retirement and Insurance at Prudential Financial. The event will be held on Tuesday, May 13 at Current, 59 Chelsea Piers.
A blue graphic featuring a photo of Lisa Zucker, NCLEJ Pro Bono Attorney. The text reads “Welcome! Lisa Zucker joins NCLEJ as Pro Bono Attorney. Lisa joined NCLEJ in February 2025 as a pro bono attorney. She has over thirty years of experience in civil liberties and civil rights matters, including workers’ rights, reproductive rights, church/state and anti-discrimination. Prior to joining NCLEJ, Lisa was a senior attorney for legislative affairs at the New York Civil Liberties Union, where she specialized in low-wage workers’ rights policy and legislation. Lisa has authored various “Know Your Rights” materials and articles related to workers’ rights. She has taught at Rutgers, New York and Yale law schools, and is a member of the Advocacy Council of the Citizens Committee for Children.
A blue graphic featuring a photo of Stefen Short. The text reads “Welcome! Stefen Short joins NCLEJ as Special Counsel for Disability Justice Projects. Stefen R. Short is Special Counsel for Disability Justice Projects at NCLEJ. He was previously Chief Counsel at Worth Rises, Supervising Attorney and Acting Deputy Director of the Prisoners’ Rights Project of The Legal Aid Society, and a Staff Attorney with Disability Rights New York. Stefen has litigated and advocated for incarcerated people on matters including access to medical and mental health care, access to education, diversion from solitary confinement, free exercise and expression, and protection from harm. He is an adjunct professor of law at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University.”
A blue graphic highlighting NCLEJ’s upcoming Justice Maker Awards. The text reads: “Save the date! NCLEJ Justice Maker Awards 2025: 60th Anniversary Celebration. Honoring Lisa Martinez Wolmart, Chief Legal Officer, Global Insurance Businesses, Prudential Financial. Tuesday, May 13, 2025. Cocktail hour from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM. Awards Ceremony from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM. Location at Current, 59 Chelsea Piers, New York, NY 10011.”
A blue graphic featuring a quote and photo of Executive Director Dennis Parker. His quote reads: “My service as Executive Director for NCLEJ was one of the great honors of my legal career. For such a small staff, NCLEJ has punched well above its weight. The team we have assembled is among the best in the legal services field, and I can enter retirement knowing that over these last six years, we’ve made an incredible impact on so many people through our work. I’m excited to capstone my tenure on a high note as we celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of NCLEJ and begin our search for my successor.”
A blue graphic with a photo of the MLK Jr Memorial in the background. A quote from MLK Jr reads: “I have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality, and freedom for their spirits.”