Chris Geidner
BuzzFeed
October 16, 2014
Link to story
Organizations mentioned/involved: DOJ Access to Justice Initiative (ATJ)
DETAILS
A former California judge who had been the head of California Common Cause, Lisa Foster, has been named the director of DOJ’s Access to Justice Initiative.
Foster most recently served for the past year as a judicial fellow for Sen. Ed Markey, but before that had a long history in the legal communities in San Diego and Los Angeles.
The initiative, started by Attorney General Eric Holder in March 2010, aims “to address the access-to-justice crisis in the criminal and civil justice system” by helping to ensure that the justice system is accessible to all people, regardless of income.
The initiative, according to the Justice Department, has worked “within the department, across federal agencies, and with state, local and tribal justice system stakeholders” to increase the availability of legal counsel and related assistance to people who cannot afford lawyers.