Sullivan's Power Act Leads to 100 Pro Bono Legal Summits in 2019

Statement

U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) today welcomed a report from the Administrative Office of the United States Courts detailing 100 public events promoting pro bono legal services for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault that were held in 2019 in 86 judicial districts across the country in accordance with the Pro Bono Work to Empower and Represent (POWER) Act, Sullivan's legislation that was signed into law in 2018. The POWER Act mandates that each year for four years, the Chief Judge of each Judicial District across the country hold at least one event promoting pro bono legal services as a critical way to empower survivors of domestic violence, stalking, and sexual assault, and to engage citizens.

The POWER Act also requires the Administrative Office of the federal judiciary to submit a compilation and summary of reports received from the chief district judges detailing each public event conducted in the previous fiscal year. The first report, submitted on December 31, 2019, is available here.

"When we launched the POWER Act several years ago, I envisioned an army of lawyers across the country donating their time and talent to defending victims and survivors of violence," said Senator Sullivan. "Having reached more than 7,000 Americans in 2019 -- lawyers and victims, alike -- I believe we are on the cusp of making that vision a reality, giving hope to so many who are suffering and helping them escape the cycle of violence. I want to extend my sincerest gratitude to the outstanding judges and their teams who worked in partnership with victim advocates to reach attorneys and let them know how their legal expertise can lift vulnerable women and children out of horrible situations."

Senator Sullivan attended Alaska's inaugural POWER Act summit, hosted in Anchorage by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Tim Burgess, in August of 2019.

Background on the POWER Act:

The National Network to End Domestic Violence estimated that over the course of one day in September 2014, up to 10,000 requests for services by abused women, including legal representation, weren't met due to a lack of resources.
Research has shown that when abuse victims are represented by an attorney, their ability to break out of the cycle of violence increases dramatically. For example, one study found that 83 percent of victims represented by an attorney were able to obtain a protective order compared to just 32 percent of victims without an attorney.
The POWER Act is modeled after the pro bono summits Senator Sullivan organized throughout the state while he was attorney general of Alaska working on the Choose Respect initiative.
U.S. Senators Heitkamp (D-N.D.), Shaheen (D-N.H.), Murkowski (R-Alaska), Capito (R-W.Va.), Cornyn (R-Texas), and Daines (R-Mont.) were original co-sponsors of the bill in the Senate. Representatives Kennedy (D-Mass.), Young (R-Alaska), Gabbard (D-Hawaii), Brooks (R-Ind.), and McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) introduced companion legislation in the House in March 2017.

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