South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley has signed onto a bipartisan coalition of 40 state attorneys general urging Congress to maintain federal funding for the Legal Services Corporation, the nation’s largest funder of civil legal aid for low-income Americans.
The coalition sent a letter to Congressional appropriations leaders asking that LSC funding be included in the fiscal year 2027 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill. The group argued that LSC plays a critical role in ensuring access to justice for Americans who cannot afford legal representation in civil matters and remains a sound investment of federal resources.
“Everyone, regardless of their income level, is entitled to equal justice under the law,” Jackley said. “Continued federal funding for LSC helps ensure our justice system works for everyone.”
Created by Congress in 1974, LSC supports a nationwide network of 129 independent legal aid organizations operating more than 900 offices across every state, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories. Nearly 95% of LSC’s federal funding flows directly to local legal aid providers, helping millions of Americans each year navigate civil legal issues involving housing, family safety, consumer protection, veterans’ benefits, and disaster recovery.
The letter was led by the attorneys general of Colorado, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee, with 36 additional states and territories joining the effort, spanning a broad ideological and geographic range from Alaska to Wyoming.
The push comes amid broader federal budget debates in which a range of domestic programs have faced scrutiny over funding levels heading into the next fiscal year.