Arizona Advocacy Groups File Amicus Brief in Support of Unemployed Workers

Arizona – On April 22, 2022, Community Legal Services and the William E. Morris Institute for Justice, organizations who advocate on behalf of low-income Arizonans, filed an Amicus Brief in the Arizona Court of Appeals in support of Plaintiffs’ case against Governor Doug Ducey for the early termination of pandemic unemployment benefits.  

Plaintiffs, represented by National Legal Advocacy Network and partners, brought their case in September 2021 after Arizona, amongst other states, prematurely terminated Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC), the pandemic unemployment assistance that provided individuals with an additional $600 and then $300 per week on top of base unemployment benefits.  

In their brief, Amici assert that low-income Arizonans and those in marginalized communities have faced disproportionate economic and health-related harm throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, with the early termination of FPUC benefits adding to the list of harms. In their advocacy work, Amici witnessed Arizonans experience housing instability, food insecurity & other life disruptions due to the early termination of benefits that were crucial to the survival of many, particularly people of color and women. 

Citing the irreparable hardships Arizonans will continue to face without economic security, Amici urge the court to grant the relief that Plaintiffs request & to ensure eligible individuals be able to receive FPUC benefits for the full period they were entitled to under federal law. 

To read the full Amicus Brief, click here.