The Office of Legal Affairs is committed to challenging the collateral consequences of the War on Drugs, which include the denial of public benefits such as welfare and food stamps, federal student financial aid, voting rights and public housing for convicted drug offenders, al.

Current projects include:

Repeal of the federal ban on welfare benefits for convicted drug offenders: The Office, in collaboration with other national organizations such as the Sentencing Project is working to repeal the ban on welfare benefits at both the federal and the state level. We also continue to investigate legal challenges to these post-incarceration consequences.

Ending One-Strike Evictions in Public Housing - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development v. Rucker: The Rucker case is about the right of public housing authorities to evict tenants based on their association with drug users In this case, the defendants were elderly public housing tenants whose caretakers and relatives were convicted drug offenders. The Office of Legal Affairs filed an amicus brief in the United States Supreme Court on behalf of several prominent law professors in this case.

For information on felon disenfranchisement click here.

For information on public benefits click here.

For more information on the drug provision of the Higher Education Act click here.