Every month, we give the Amicus Mundi Award to an outstanding lawyer in our community who exemplifies our shared values of service and dedication to building a more just and equitable society. This month, we’re celebrating a retired lawyer who helped overturn a DC law that was disproportionately harming low income communities and communities of color.
If this story inspires you as much as it does us, We The Action currently has more than 120 projects looking for volunteer lawyers of all experience levels, expertises, and availabilities!
Congratulations, Jeff Nesvet!
The big picture: A retired lawyer with more than 50 years of experience — including more than 40 in the federal government — Jeff has volunteered since 2019 to help overturn a DC law that disproportionately harmed low income residents and communities of color…and they won the case!
Jeff helped successfully challenge the “Clean Hands Law,” a DC policy that exacerbates racial inequalities. Under this law, anyone who owes more than $100 in unpaid fines or fees of any kind to the District of Columbia Government is barred from applying for a new or renewed driver's license until all fines are paid, regardless of their ability to pay.
Compelled to help: Since starting his career in the 1970s, Jeff says he felt called to use his legal expertise to advance the public good and even worked on various public interest projects before beginning his career in the government.
“People with a career in the federal government always talk about what they’re going to do when they retire,” Jeff says. “I always said I would go back to doing public interest work.”
Fighting an unjust law: In a jurisdiction where the median net worth of a white household is 81 times higher than the median net worth of a Black household, the Clean Hands Law deeply impacted DC’s communities of color.
That's why Jeff used We The Action to connect with Tzedek DC, a DC-based nonprofit with the mission of safeguarding the legal rights and financial health of DC residents with lower incomes who are dealing with often unjust, abusive, and illegal debt collection practices.
“Jeff's work over parts of the last four years has been integral to our analysis of why the law is unconstitutional and harms DC residents with low incomes, and what can be done about it.” says Ariel Levinson-Waldman, Tzedek DC’s Founding Director.
A hard fought victory: Jeff says he helped with a two-pronged approach to overturning the Clean Hands Laws: convincing the DC Council (which has state and municipal-level authority) to overturn the law and, if that effort failed, having filings ready to urge the courts to overturn the law.
In July of 2022 — after years of effort — the DC Council finally passed a law removing drivers licenses from the Clean Hands Law. And a few weeks ago, a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction halting the enforcement of the Clean Hands Law until its repeal becomes official in October 2023.
The Court found that “tens of thousands of DC residents …have been barred from receiving driver’s licenses under the Clean Hands Law” and noted that “ending the application of the Clean Hands Law to driver’s licenses will likely improve… [the] quality of life outcomes for Black residents who have a debt to the District government." They continued to say that overturning the Clean Hands Law will “mitigate the burden on D.C. residents with disabilities, those who lack stable housing, and those who are struggling to maintain steady employment.”
“It was a long process, but I couldn’t be more pleased with the results,” Jeff says. “The number of people in DC who will benefit will be really significant.”
You can help too: Though Jeff’s project took years to complete, he emphasizes that lawyers can also make a difference by signing up for shorter projects to help organizations solve smaller challenges.
“Whether it’s public interest work or work in the government, I’ve always gotten a lot of satisfaction from my work,” Jeff says. “There are a lot of ways lawyers can help remedy the ills of society.”
On behalf of 45,000+ volunteer lawyers: Thank you, Jeff!
Is your resolution to donate more time fighting for causes you believe in? Sign up for one of the more than 120 projects looking for volunteer lawyers!