What Will Happen to Americans Who Can't Afford an Attorney?
On the campaign trail, President Trump pledged “to bring hope to every forgotten stretch of this country.” But his new budget has critics questioning whether that pledge can be reconciled with his plan to eliminate the Legal Services Corporation, a move whose impact would be severe for low-income Americans living in impoverished rural and urban communities.
Established by Congress in 1974 as a public nonprofit corporation, it funds more than a hundred civil legal-aid programs throughout the country. In most states, those funds account for between one-third and one-half of the organization’s budget; in some poorer states, like Alabama, LSC provides about 80 percent of the funding.
“If you look at the states that have the lowest ranking when it comes to access to help from a civil legal-aid program, nine out of 10 of them supported Trump,” said Martha Bergmark, a
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