Hot Amicus Summer Draws to a Close with Filing of Commons West Brief: On August 27, 2026, PRRAC joined an amicus brief filed by the law firm of Covington & Burling in the New York Court of Appeals in support of the appellant in People v. Commons West, LLC. The case raises the question of whether New York’s source of income discrimination protections meaningfully prohibit discrimination against households using Housing Choice Vouchers to afford the rent. In addition to counsel and PRRAC, an array of allies including Enterprise Community Partners, the National Fair Housing Alliance, the National Homelessness Law Center, and the National Housing Law Project, joined the brief. In Commons West, the trial court and the intermediate appellate court wrongly invalidated New York’s source of income discrimination protections on the basis of the argument that applying liability to landlords for refusing to participate in the Housing Choice Voucher program would violate the Fourth Amendment because of provisions in the required Housing Assistance Payments contract that consent to habitability and business records inspections. The amicus brief highlights the importance of the voucher program in addressing New York’s housing crisis, how inspections are reasonable and proportional, and how pretextual invocation of privacy concerns cannot defeat liability. PRRAC is proud to stand with all of these great partners and allies in defense of New York’s critically needed fair housing protections.
PRRAC Joins NFHA-Led Comment Letter Regarding Discrimination Complaint Form: On August 31, 2026, PRRAC joined a comment letter led by our partners at the National Fair Housing Alliance in response to a Paperwork Reduction Act notice for proposed changes to a discrimination complaint form that would make the fair housing enforcement process of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) inaccessible to many people with limited English proficiency. The Fair Housing Act protects everyone in the United States, regardless of what language they speak, and the civil rights community must remain steadfast in opposition to attempts by the Trump Administration to limit language access.
Other news and resources
First Circuit Affirms Preliminary Injunction in Inflation Reduction Act Case: In belated good news on, August 7, 2026, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit affirmed a preliminary injunction issued by the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island in a challenge brought to the freezing by the Trump Administration of financial assistance made available under the Inflation Reduction Act, including through HUD’s Green and Resilient Retrofit Program (GRRP). PRRAC joined an amicus brief in this case in September 2025. GRRP supports critical repairs and energy-efficiency improvements in federally-assisted housing.
The Right to Cooling: An interesting piece in Dissent on air conditioning as a critical front in the fight for tenants’ rights during an era of intense climate change.
A Break from the Parade of Horribles – Back to School: It is that time of year, from Trapper Keepers to TI-83s to backpacks, a new school year requires new gear. The PRRAC and NCSD teams reflect on what items used to get them most excited (and perhaps still do).
- Audrey: Pencil case, especially the kind you could dry glue in to make bookmarks
- Tessa: Notebooks, particularly with fun (e.g. textured, glittery) covers
- Thomas: A good-quality Swingline stapler (no one ever has a decent stapler when they want one, which is why, even in adulthood, intra-office stapler larceny is so common)
