An update on the Biden genocide case 

An array of authorities from government to academia to the nonprofit sector is backing Palestinians’ effort to secure court review of their claims that President Biden is enabling genocide in Gaza.

Last month, a three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit affirmed the decision of a lower court, which dismissed the case on jurisdictional grounds even as it said Israel’s assault “plausibly” constituted genocide. In an en banc petition filed last month, the plaintiffs argue that courts have a constitutional duty to assess the legality of the Biden administration's actions.

The lawsuit, filed in November, claims Biden, Secretary of State Blinken, and Secretary of Defense Austin are violating international and federal law for failing to prevent and being complicit in Israel’s genocide. It asks the court to enjoin the administration from supporting the assault on Gaza with weapons or other means. If the Ninth Circuit grants the petition for a rehearing, the case would be heard by an eleven-judge en banc court.

Read the full press release here.

We joined 79 immigrant and civil rights orgs urging DHS and ICE to release people who’ve won fear-based protection 

Alongside 79 immigrant and civil rights organizations, legal services organizations, and law firms, we delivered a letter to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) calling on DHS Secretary Mayorkas and ICE Acting Director Lechleitner to release all immigrants in ICE detention who have been granted fear-based protection from deportation.

In the wake of mounting outrage against ICE’s abuse, medical neglect, and violations of human rights in Louisiana, California, Washington, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania, among other states, the letter urges ICE to adhere to its own 20-year policy to immediately release people after they have won their case for asylum, withholding of removal, and protection under the UN’s Convention Against Torture.

Read the letter here and see NPR’s coverage of the case here.

Register: In Context Briefing on Defending Dissent: Palestine, Freedom of Speech and the Future of Protest 

As we approach November's historic election and the new semester begins on college campuses, all eyes are on the precarious state of American democracy. Top of mind for many are urgent questions about free speech, dissent, and growing concerns surrounding the U.S.'s role in Israel-Palestine.

Join us in partnership with Just Vision, Institute for Middle East Understanding (IMEU), Jewish Currents, Palestine Legal, the Foundation for Middle East Peace (FMEP), and Diaspora Alliance on Tuesday, Sept 17, at 11:00 a.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. Jerusalem time to learn more about growing repression of dissent on Israel-Palestine, a trend that has built over decades and escalated in the past year. Maria LaHood, our deputy legal director, will be speaking at the event. 

Register here.

Additional upcoming events 

Our senior staff attorney, Diala Shamas, will be joining five different discussions and workshops throughout the remainder of September in relation to the current genocide unfolding in Palestine. She will be joined by our associate director of policy, Brad Parker, for one of them, entitled Palestine and the War on Terror: Understanding the Framework and Defending our Movements.

To learn more about each event, and to register, visit our events page. Some of the events will be occurring in person as well as virtually.

We’re hiring: 2025 Ella Baker Summer Internship 

In 1987, we created the Ella Baker Summer Internship Program to honor the legacy of Ella Baker, a hero of the civil rights movement, and to train the next generation of social justice lawyers.

Through our program, interns gain practical litigation experience and sharpen their theoretical understanding of the relationship between social change, organizing, and lawyering. Ella Baker Interns also become connected to a global community of social justice law students and lawyers through our Ella Baker Alumni Network.

We’ve now started our search for the 2025 cohort of Ella Baker interns. For more information, click here. To apply, head to the application page. The deadline is October 5, 2024, at 12 a.m.  PT.