Our Impact: Strategic Litigation and Policy Advocacy

Reforming Traffic Court Fines, Fees, and Driver’s License Suspensions in California

Advocates around the country are grappling with injustices in traffic court systems: minor traffic offenses or nonviolent infractions often carry increasingly high fines and fees; people who cannot afford to pay are faced with even greater fines for nonpayment, loss of a driver’s license, and sometimes imprisonment. With racial imbalances in policing and the criminal justice system, the injustices in such systems fall most heavily on communities of color.

In this month’s Clearinghouse, BayLegal’s Raegan Joern, Claire Johnson Raba, & Rebekah Evenson discuss how our coalition of California advocates successfully engaged in impact litigation, legislative advocacy, and policy reform to transform some of the more egregious injustices in California’s traffic court system.

Read the Full Article:

Clearinghouse Community: “Driving Change: Reforming Traffic Court Fines, Fees, and License Suspension Through Strategic Impact Litigation and Policy Advocacy”