Pacific Justice Institute (PJI) has announced it is launching a new position to strategically impact legislatures across the country. Brad Dacus, president of the California-based firm, sees "tremendous opportunities" in the states partly because of recent Supreme Court decisions.
"Instead of just doing litigation and providing valuable resources," he tells AFN, "we are going upstream with this new position that is being filled by a very seasoned attorney who will be focusing strategically on legislation to enhance religious freedom, parents' rights, and the sanctity of human life in states across the country."
Filling the new role as legislative counsel is Janice Lorrah, a civil litigator with more than 20 years' experience.
Dacus views the expansion of the firm's work as a win-win for legislators and PJI.
"State legislators often mean well, but they really don't know legally what their limits are in terms of passing bills that are furthering our civil liberties or, for that matter, effectively opposing legislation that is hindering our civil liberties," says Dacus.
"… A PJI, we fill that gap – and that's what we are going to be doing with this new attorney: to really maximize … what's happening in the state legislatures. And in so doing, [this will] make our job a little easier on the litigation side so we do not have to have any lawsuits that we don't absolutely need to take on dealing with state legislation and new laws."
For more than two decades, PJI – now with more than 30 offices nationwide and a network of hundreds of affiliate attorneys – has defended religious freedom, parental rights, and sanctity of life.
