Advocating for Civil Justice System Reform
Advocacy Hub
Our Advocacy Hub houses information about our advocacy efforts and policy positions.
A2JC unites leaders and brings together stakeholders to drive civil justice reform in all three branches of government. Hundreds of thousands of Marylanders currently navigate the civil justice system on their own, with insufficient or no legal help. This can lead to devastating negative social outcomes, including generational poverty.
A2JC’s Advocacy Agenda
- Right to Counsel: A2JC works to secure the right to counsel in civil proceedings where basic human needs, such as shelter, sustenance, safety, health, or child custody, are at stake. A2JC was a key leader in helping successfully advocate for the passage of the Access to Counsel in Evictions law in 2021, making Maryland only the second state in the nation to provide access to counsel to all low-income tenants in eviction cases.
- Civil Legal Aid Funding:Organizations that provide civil legal aid are chronically underfunded, leaving many individuals in need to navigate the system without access to legal services. A2JC advocates for adequate funding for these organizations and their work in giving low income Marylanders the civil legal help they need.
Our efforts to advocate for civil legal aid funding includes funding for the Access to Counsel in Evictions (ACE) Program. A2JC has chaired the ACE Task Force since its creation in 2021 and has successfully advocated to secure funding for the ACE law from 2022 – 2028 ($11.8M in 2022 and $14M/year from 2023-2028). Full and continuous funding to support ACE law ensures that the playing field is level for low income tenants facing eviction proceedings.
- Court Access: The A2JC aims to protect accessibility of the courts and other judicial facilities by advocating for policies that limit federal enforcement actions in state courts and judicial facilities, recognizing the negative effect that these activities have on the equal and fair administration of justice.
- Civil Justice Data: In order to understand the civil justice system, it is important to have accurate data and to be able to analyze the data to effectuate policy. A2JC successfully advocated for the passage of a law that created what is now the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development’s Eviction Data Dashboard. A2JC identified this as a necessity in order to effectively implement the Access to Counsel in Evictions law.
- Tiered Legal Professionals: Current demand for civil legal help far outweighs the current supply of legal professionals who are able to provide assistance. A2JC is studying nationwide movements to allow allied legal professionals to join the ranks within the legal profession to assist low and moderate income Marylanders in areas of law that have high need, but low to no attorney representation.
A2JC 2026 Priorities
Protecting the Rule of Law
Prohibiting the State, a unit of local government, a county sheriff, or any agency, officer, employee, or agent of the State or a unit of local government from entering into an immigration enforcement agreement; and requiring the termination of an existing immigration enforcement agreement on or before July 1, 2026.
Court Access
Prohibiting a person from being stopped, detained, or arrested for certain civil offenses while the individual is in a judicial facility or is traveling within 1 mile of a judicial facility for the purpose of attending a meeting, a hearing, or another official proceeding in the Judicial facility except under certain circumstances; establishing that evidence obtained in violation of the Act is inadmissible in a proceeding over which a State court or State or local agency has jurisdiction; etc.
Supporting Civil Legal Aid Organizations
Establishing the Maryland Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program to assist in the repayment of higher education loans owed by State employees in order to attract, recruit, and retain these employees; requiring the Office of Student Financial Assistance within the Maryland Higher Education Commission to administer the Program; and requiring the Office to report to the General Assembly on or before January 1 of each year on the implementation of the Program and any effects the Program has on State employee recruitment or retention.
HB15 and other bills that attack nonprofit organizations or charitable contributions
Altering the definition of a “public record” under the Public Information Act to include certain documentary material made by a nonprofit organization that receives $50,000 or more annually from State grants, State bond proceeds, or local impact grants; and altering the applicability of certain rules and limitations under the Public Information Act to include certain nonprofit organizations.
Maryland State and County Specific Statistics on the Impact of the Civil Justice System
A2JC is data-informed when leading policy reform. We work diligently to compile statistics on the impact of the civil justice system on Marylanders across the state to inform legislators, elected officials and decision makers about how the civil justice system impacts their constituents and communities.
Our one-pagers collect and summarize both statewide and jurisdiction-specific data on civil legal matters such as evictions, foreclosures, domestic abuse and public benefits in addition to the demographic information on the Marylanders most entangled with these types of legal issues.
Click the links below to download the statewide snapshot and one-pagers on each jurisdiction to take a deep dive into the numbers across the state.
2026 One Pagers by Jurisdiction
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