All Rights Are Local: The Rise and Promise of Local Government Affirmative Litigation

Increasingly, local governments, city attorneys, and county counsel offices are taking impact litigation on behalf of their residents into their own hands. From litigation surrounding the opioid epidemic and climate change to fighting the Trump administration’s proposal to add a citizenship question to the census, local governments regularly lead the charge in court, addressing issues of national concern through the lens of local impacts. This panel will explore how the burgeoning local government affirmative litigation movement can play a role in progressive lawyering under and after the Trump administration.

Moderator:
Kathleen Morris, Professor of Law, Golden Gate University

Panelists:
Erin Bernstein, Supervising Deputy City Attorney, City of Oakland
Jill Habig, Founder, Public Rights Project
Greta Hansen, Chief Assistant County Counsel, County of Santa Clara
Yvonne Meré, Chief Attorney of Complex and Affirmative Litigation, City of San Francisco