
Nicole Lee
Ndumele
Senior Vice President, Rights and Justice
Structural Reform and Governance
The Courts and Legal Policy team works to advance reforms to make America’s legal system more accessible and just for ordinary people.
Despite recent and historic gains, America’s federal judges remain overwhelmingly white and male, and the bench is stacked with those from corporate law backgrounds and former federal prosecutors. Appointing diverse nominees with diverse backgrounds is essential to strengthening the courts.
From significant expansion of the lower courts to instituting term limits for Supreme Court justices, it is critical to enact reforms that will ensure that the size of the judiciary and the makeup of the Supreme Court reflect the needs of the American people and the realities of modern life.
Too often, justice in America’s courtrooms is only accessible to those with means and in power. The need to expand access to justice has only become more pressing as COVID-19 has exacerbated long-standing legal inequities. All people, regardless of income or status, deserve high-quality legal help.
The judiciary and courts are critical in the fight against climate change, and environmental judges are essential to protecting the nation's future.
Americans’ civil liberties are in danger if Congress does not ensure that ordinary people can hold state and federal officials accountable for wrongdoing.
The Supreme Court's decisions this term on reproductive health are a reminder of the need for proactive policies that protect reproductive rights.
The nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court would threaten Roe v. Wade—and women's health and reproductive rights.
The importance of the federal court system becomes increasingly apparent as the Trump administration attacks fundamental American values and protections.
The U.S. Supreme Court could undermine civil rights for the LGBTQ community in Masterpiece Cakeshop.
The elimination of the blue slip rule would allow President Donald Trump to radically reshape the judiciary.
Watch a 100-second run-down of Trump's chaotic first 100 days.
President Donald Trump has nominated Judge Neil Gorsuch to fill the currently vacant seat on the U.S. Supreme Court. Here are five things you need to know about Judge Gorsuch.
The Ohio Supreme Court ruled that municipalities cannot regulate fracking waste, but many of the justices who made this decision received large campaign contributions from fracking companies and fossil fuel interests.