LSC Board Chair John Levi Addresses ABA House of Delegates

LSC Board Chair John Levi addressed members of the American Bar Association’s House of Delegates on August 9 in San Francisco. In his remarks, Levi welcomed four newly confirmed members of the LSC Board: Matthew Keenan, Abigail Kuzma, John Malcolm, and Frank Neuner Jr. He also advocated for an increased LSC budget, noting the relative decline in LSC funding since its inception. Levi stressed that access to justice is a fundamental pillar of American democracy, invoking the words of Supreme Court Justice Lewis Powell:

“This chronic underfunding of civil legal aid is much more than just another Washington budget battle over discretionary spending. There should be nothing discretionary about equal justice.  It is not charity. Rather, as Justice Lewis Powell observed, it is ‘one of the guiding principles of our democracy.’”

Listen to his remarks at the ABA Annual Meeting here or read them here.