PRRAC and NCSD Lead Amicus Brief in New Jersey School Desegregation Case: On March 16, 2026, PRRAC and the National Coalition on School Diversity (NCSD) filed an amicus curiae brief in the Appellate Division of the New Jersey Superior Court in Latino Action Network v. State(LAN). The brief, which was filed with the invaluable assistance of pro bono counsel from the law firm of Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP and the Center for Social Justice at the Seton Hall University School of Law,demonstrates how a long history of discriminatory housing practices in which the State of New Jersey and its municipalities have been complicit has contributed to school segregation in the state. Additionally, the brief grounds the need for a strong remedy in LAN with the best traditions of the New Jersey courts’ interpretations of the New Jersey Constitution as embodied in decisions like Southern Burlington County N.A.A.C.P. v. Township of Mount Laureland Abbott v. Burke. In addition to PRRAC and NCSD, our partners at the Fair Share Housing Center, the National Housing Law Project, and the Redress Movement joined the brief. More information on the case is available on the website of the Latino Action Network.
Outstanding Lawyering Beats Wanton Lawlessness: On Friday, March 13, 2026, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) published a notice in the Federal Register indicating that it was indefinitely delaying the effective date of an interim final rule that it had published revoking the 30-day notice of lease termination requirement for certain federally-assisted housing. Under an interim final rule, a rule goes into effect on the date specified in the rule even though the process of receiving, reviewing, and responding to public comments has not reached fruition. In light of the March 13 notice, in effect, HUD has converted its interim final rule into something more akin to a conventional notice of proposed rulemaking. PRRAC’s close partners at the National Housing Law Project (NHLP and other allies filed a complaint and motion for preliminary injunction in an Administrative Procedure Act (APA) lawsuit challenging the interim final rule on March 2, 2026. That important lawsuit has forced HUD to back down and observe the notice and comment procedures required by the APA. HUD may yet issue a final rule that is unlawful for other reasons – such as being grounded in arbitrary and capricious decisionmaking – but, for the time being, the excellent lawyering of NHLP and their co-counsel and the bravery of their clients has counteracted HUD’s lawlessness.
Other news and resources
Becoming Thurgood Screening at PRRAC Office: On Wednesday, March 25th, join the National Coalition on School Diversity at PRRAC’s office in D.C. for an evening of reflection and dialogue about Becoming Thurgood: America’s Social Architect, with an emphasis on the role institutions play in shaping the future of civil rights advocacy and supporting the development of subsequent generations of social architects (or “social engineers,” to borrow from Charles Hamilton Houston, one of Thurgood Marshall’s mentors). RSVP here.
Revisions to HUD’s Equal Access Rule Clear OIRA: On March 6, 2026, the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) concluded its pre-publication review of a proposed rule entitled “Equal Access to Housing in HUD Programs Revisions.” It is widely anticipated that the proposed rule will, at a minimum, purport to authorize operators of federally-funded shelters for unhoused people to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. Trans women, in general, and trans women of color, in particular, disproportionately experience homelessness, and, through such a shift, HUD would inflict incredible cruelty. A full analysis will have to wait until the publication of the proposed rule. Publication is expected to be followed by a 60-day public comment period.
A Break from the Parade of Horribles – Women’s History Month Trivia: In this Update’s installment of A Break from the Parade of Horribles, we are presenting a Women’s History Month trivia quiz. Respond by email (to tdelgo@prrac.org) with your answers by the end of the day tomorrow, March 20th. We have some great prizes, including a book and some PRRAC swag (a very nice camping mug), in store for the winners. Of course, this is all on the honor system, so no Googling! There is a theme – maybe not quite a meta – cutting across these questions and their correct answers. Let us know what you think that is though nothing other than bragging rights is riding on it!
1) What leading civic reformer who would later play a key role in implementing the New Deal was a significant character in early passages of The Power Broker (as you would know if you read the book, instead of it just serving as a Zoom background decoration)?
