Over the years, court cases have formed the backbone of social justice, enabling low-income and working poor people to enforce their rights to public housing, food stamps, welfare benefits, and health care when states are not providing these benefits as the federal laws require. The holdings of these cases -- indeed, their very existence -- are not familiar to the vast majority of Americans; however, their importance cannot be overstated: The ability of private citizens to enforce their federal rights against states in court is absolutely essential if social justice is to have meaning in daily life. A legal right without a remedy in court becomes no right at all.
The Court Watch project:
- Provides technical assistance, including consultation, legal analysis, and case dockets on the range of court access issues confronting health advocates;
- Files friend of the court briefs and co-counsel cases;
- Tracks cases and monitor how they are affecting access to the courts for beneficiaries of government-funded health programs;
- Informs health care professionals and the general public, in an understandable manner, of the significant threats to court access and the reasons why this access is important; and
- Maintains and strengthen alliances with other civil rights and advocacy organizations.
