Local Human Rights Lawyering

INTRODUCTION International human rights offer a powerful set of norms that have helped domestic advocates to successfully secure additional civil, political, economic, and social rights for those living in poverty in the U.S.1 Legal aid attorneys, public defenders, and other public interest advocates have recognized human rights as an additional advocacy tool and are increasingly using human rights arguments2 in U.S. courts.3 This Article examines three cases in which legal aid attorneys and public defenders successfully used human rights arguments in