Legal Voice
Legal Voice is a regional nonprofit public interest organization that works to advance the legal rights of women and girls through high-impact litigation, legislative advocacy, and educational materials. Founded in 1978 as the Northwest Women’s Law Center, Legal Voice is based in Seattle and focuses its work in the states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Alaska.
THE CASE
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The federal Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) prohibits states from making publicly available on the Internet any information regarding the filing of a domestic violence protection order if such publication would be likely to reveal the identity or location of the person protected by the order. Despite the law, many states continue to make such information available on the Internet. This compromises the safety and privacy of domestic violence survivors. Legal Voice intends to pursue litigation to ensure compliance with this law.
CASE UPDATES SINCE GRANT YEAR
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Reported results in their unique suit on behalf of a woman, an Iraq war veteran, who had been abused by her former spouse. The plaintiff sought services from the Washington State Department of Social Services, which instead of assisting her, took custody of her son and garnished her veteran’s benefits. Viklund v Department of Social and Health Services
The case settled with the State providing her an extremely large cash settlement and with an agreement by the State to review its procedures relating to victims of partner violence.
GRANT AMOUNT
$13,000 (2015)
“We could not have done this work without the generous assistance of the Barbara McDowell Foundation, which is known for its commitment to social justice and the rights of all people to equal justice under the law.”
– Lisa M. Stone, Executive Director