Driver's License Suspension for Unpaid Fines and Fees: The Movement for Reform

Nearly eleven million people in the United States have a suspended driver’s license for unpaid fines and fees. Laws that suspend, revoke, or prevent renewal of driver’s licenses and/or restrict driving privileges (i.e., registration holds and non-renewals) for nonpayment of traffic- and court-related debt criminalize poverty and disproportionately impact those with a lower economic status. These unproductive and harmful debt-based restrictions not only fail to increase collections of fines and fees, but also divert important public resources for law enforcement and courts away from public safety. The primary way in which these restrictions manifest themselves is through driver’s license suspensions, which are the focus of this article. However, several states also hold or suspend registrations or other required compliance documents, creating the same types of complications that result from a suspended license. The racial disparities of debt-based driver’s license suspensions are even more troubling, as individuals of color are more likely to experience poverty and to be stopped by law enforcement, as well as ticketed, arrested, charged, and convicted for traffic violations. To date, twenty-two states and Washington, D.C. have passed reforms that curb or eliminate the use of driver’s license suspensions and driving privilege restrictions for unpaid fines and fees. While most states continue to suspend, revoke, or prohibit license and/or vehicle compliance renewals for those with unpaid court debt, a growing movement for reform has taken hold. This Article will discuss the imperative for stopping debt-based restrictions and examine the rationales and impacts of two pathways to reform: litigation and legislation. This Article will lay out specific factors that jurisdictions should consider in their reform approach. Careful evaluation of these factors will ensure the greatest benefit while posing the least harm to those most impacted by these policies.

O papel da Jurisdição Constitucional nas demandas estruturais: uma análise da ADPF nº 347/DF

RESUMOO presente trabalho analisa o papel da jurisdição constitucional na superação das omissões políticas, por meio das demandas estruturais. Assim, estuda-se a adoção do Estado de Coisas Inconstitucional (ECI) na ADPF nº 347/DF, investigando se a forma como a sentença estrutural colombiana está sendo recepcionada no Brasil é consentânea com a separação de poderes, bem como capaz de promover a eficiência das demandas estruturais. Para realizar essa análise, utilizasse o estudo bibliográfico e documental, com o intuito de compreender o desenvolvimento histórico do ECI, os casos paradigmáticos para a sua evolução e quais elementos contribuem para a sua eficiência. Com efeito, analisando-se os principais pedidos finais da ação, constatou-se que o seu eventual deferimento conduzirá a uma indevida ampliação das competências do Supremo Tribunal Federal (STF), aproximando a decisão da sentença T-153, proferida pela Corte Constitucional Colombiana e que é um clássico caso de ineficiência do ECI. Ademais, constatou-se que o STF precisa adotar um posição mediadora, e não formuladora de políticas pública, de tal forma que o tribunal funcione como uma força motriz que tira os poderes políticos da inércia, promovendo a formação de um diálogo institucional entre Judiciário e Executivo, incluindo também, na medida do possível, os segmentos populacionais afetados.PALAVRAS-CHAVEProcessos estruturais. Omissões políticas. Estado de coisas inconstitucional. ABSTRACTThe present study analyzes the role of constitutional jurisdiction in overcoming political omissions through structural reform litigation. Therefore, the adoption of the Unconstitutional State of Affairs (USoA) in ADPF No. 347/DF was studied, investigating whether the way the Colombian structural ruling is being received in Brazil is consistent with the separation of powers, as well as capable of promoting the efficiency of structural demands. To perform this analysis, a bibliographic and documental study was carried out in order to understand the historical development of the USoA, the paradigmatic cases for its evolution and which elements contribute to its efficiency. In fact, analyzing the main final claims of the action, it was found that its possible acceptance will lead to an undue extension of the powers of the Federal Supreme Court (Supremo Tribunal Federal), bringing the decision closer to verdict T-153 issued by the Colombian Constitutional Court, which is a classic case of USoA inefficiency. Furthermore, it has been concluded that the Federal Supreme Court must adopt a mediating stance rather than a public policy maker one, so that the Court functions as a driving force that pulls political powers out of inertia, promoting the formation of an institutional dialogue between the Judiciary and the Executive powers, including, as far as possible, the affected populational segments.KEYWORDSStructural reform litigation. Political omissions. Unconstitutional State of Affairs.

Mechanisms and Consequences of Professional Marginality: The Case of Poverty Lawyers Revisited

A partial replication of Jack Katz's (1982) Poor People's Lawyers in Transition, this article explores the manifestations and consequences of professional marginality of legal aid lawyers. Based on thirty-five interviews with poverty attorneys and interns in Chicago, the authors show that scarce material resources and unclear expectations continue to give rise to the marginalization of this segment of the legal profession. The authors analyzed ideological, task, status, and material dimensions of attorneys' professional marginality. With no access to reform litigation, central to the legal aid “culture of significance” in the 1970s, present-day poverty lawyers seek new ways to cope with marginality. The authors argue that these lawyers' coping strategies have many negative consequences. Thus, over time, poverty lawyers' deep engagement with clients, ideals of empowerment, and social justice orientation give way to emotional detachment, complacency, and an emphasis on “making do” within the constraints of the system.