Paul, Weiss is committed to providing impactful pro bono legal assistance to individuals and organizations in need. Our program is all-encompassing, spanning the core issues facing our society.
Paul, Weiss and the Brennan Center Prevent the Purge of the Voter Registration Rolls in Detroit
- Client News
- June 30, 2020
Practices
Paul, Weiss secured a victory on behalf of pro bono clients the League of Women Voters of Michigan and the League of Women Voters of Detroit in a case that threatened widespread disenfranchisement of Detroit voters.
Working with the Brennan Center for Justice, Paul, Weiss represented the League as defendant-intervenors in a lawsuit brought by the Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF) against election officials in the city of Detroit. PILF claimed that not enough voters were “purged” from the registration rolls —a tactic PILF has tried across the country to disenfranchise voters.
Over PILF’s opposition, Judge David Lawson of the Eastern District of Michigan granted the League’s motion to intervene as defendants, finding that the purpose of the law is “to enhance the participation of eligible citizens as voters in elections.”
Faced with a motion for judgment on the pleadings, and an aggressive discovery campaign spearheaded by Paul, Weiss, PILF dropped its lawsuit and dismissed the case with prejudice – a welcome victory in the fight to protect the right to vote.
The Paul, Weiss team includes litigation partners Robert Atkins and William Michael and associates Joshua Kaye, Sabrina Baum, Adrienne Lee and Zack Goldberg.