Civil Rights Litigation Initiative

11/03/2026

FEDERAL JUDGE RULES THAT WRITE-IN CANDIDATE CAN POST ELECTION YARD SIGNS WITHOUT FIRST SEEKING PERMIT

Detroit, Michigan – Late Saturday afternoon, a federal judge gave the green light to write-in congressional candidate John Goci to put campaign yard signs in front of his supporters’ small businesses without first going through the expensive, long process of obtaining a permit. Goci, who is running for Congress in the 13th Congressional District, is represented by the Civil Rights Litigation Initiative at the University of Michigan Law School (CRLI).

“As an Albanian whose people struggled for freedom and their very existence, I do not take America’s liberties for granted. To live in a country founded on the promise of freedom is both a privilege and a responsibility, and when I encounter injustice, I believe it is my duty to stand up, not only for my own rights, but for the civil liberties of everyone who calls this country home,” Goci said.

Goci initially removed his small, wire-staked signs after the city threatened to fine him thousands of dollars because he did not first seek a permit. Before putting up such signs, Detroit business owners must:
• Pay a licensed sign erector to fill out a permit application
• Provide detailed planning information, including a site plan map to scale showing the dimensions of all buildings on the property
• Pay a fee to submit the application for each sign
• Wait for weeks for multiple departments to review the application
• Pay a licensed sign erector to install the sign

Although Detroit requires business owners to obtain permits for political yard signs, they do not need a permit for “for sale” signs, public service announcements, signs with government insignia, or art murals. These exceptions mean that core political speech is more restricted than other speech.

United States District Court Judge Denise Page Hood issued a preliminary injunction on Saturday ruling that Detroit’s permit requirement is likely unconstitutional.

“No one should have to seek permission from the government to display a political sign on their property,” said Thomas Lichtenberg, the CRLI student-attorney who argued the case. “Political speech is at the heart of the First Amendment and deserves the highest constitutional protections.”

In addition to Lichtenberg, Mr. Goci is represented by CRLI student-attorney Dana Craig and CRLI director Michael J. Steinberg.

See comments for the judge's order and the complaint.

10/30/2026

Yesterday, CRLI student attorney Thomas Lichtenberg argued a free speech case in federal court on behalf of a congressional write-in candidate. In Detroit, a business owner cannot put up a political yard sign with wire stakes without first hiring a licensed sign installer and going through a long and expensive permitting process.

See the Law360 article about the argument in the first comment.

(Photo of Thomas and the client, John Goci, in front of the courthouse after the argument.)

10/29/2026

CRLI at the Clinic Fair!

10/24/2026

Maison Jobe is a 3L at the University of Michigan Law School and a student attorney in the Civil Rights Litigation Initiative. She is from Brainerd, Minnesota, and received an A.B. in Social Studies from Harvard College.

Maison is a Notes Editor for the Michigan Law Review. She is also involved in the Michigan Plaintiffs' Law Association and the Michigan Immigration and Labor Law Association. Maison spent her 1L summer at the employment law firm Blanchard & Walker in Ann Arbor, and she spent her 2L summer working on securities class actions at Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd in San Diego, where she will return after graduation.

In her free time, Maison likes to do jigsaw puzzles, spend time with her cat, go for long walks, and watch social competition reality TV shows. She is also learning to juggle.

10/21/2026

Thanks to hard work of Ellen Gunn, Allie Berdon, and Dana Craig, we just filed for a preliminary injunction in our free speech case against the EPA. CRLI is proud to represent Elin Warn Betanzo, and to co-counsel this important case with the Climate Science Legal Defense Fund!

After filing a lawsuit seeking the reinstatement of her position on the Environmental Protection Agency’s National Drinking Water Advisory Council, Elin Warn Betanzo is aiming to block the EPA policy it used to justify her dismissal.

10/17/2026

Andrea De Jesus Colon (she/her) is a 2L in the JD/MPP dual-degree program at the University of Michigan Law School and the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, where she is concentrating in social policy. She is also a student attorney at the Civil Rights Litigation Initiative. Andrea is from Rio Grande, Puerto Rico, and earned her BA in Political Science, with an emphasis in International Relations, from the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras campus.

At Michigan Law, Andrea is an Associate Editor for the Journal of Law Reform and is externing this fall with the ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project. After graduation, she hopes to continue working in the field of immigrants’ rights, fighting mass detention and deportations. In her free time, she enjoys caring for her plants, baking, and visiting the botanical gardens.

10/14/2026

CRLI would like to express its deep gratitude to the Else and Wessinger Families for providing a housing scholarship for Civil Rights Litigation Initiative student attorneys. Impressed by the work of CRLI, they created the scholarship in 2021 to provide one of its apartments rent-free to one CRLI student for the past five years. (Note: The scholarship section committee was completely separate from MLaw.)

Ku’Juana Quinn, a 3L, is the recipient of this year’s scholarship. Ku’Juana said, "Thanks to the generosity of Jordan Else and the Wessinger Family, this housing scholarship eases a significant financial burden and allows me to keep doing the work I came to law school to do. Whether it’s serving my immediate communities, fighting for educational equity across school districts, or standing against federal attacks on DEI, I’m grateful to have more space to focus on the work that matters most to me. A career in public service may not be the most lucrative, but investments like these remind me that this work matters and that I’m not in it alone. I’m truly grateful for this level of generosity and support!"

10/11/2026

Dana Craig (she/her) is 3L at Michigan Law and a student attorney with the Civil Rights Litigation Initiative. She is from River Falls, WI and received her B.A. in English Literature and Political Science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison before coming to law school.

At Michigan, Dana is a Book Review Editor of the Michigan Law Review, former co-chair of the Organization for Public Interest Students, and a research assistant on projects ranging from criminal procedure to LGBTQ+ rights. She looks forward to a career in civil rights impact litigation with a particular focus on gender justice and separation of church and state. Dana spent her 1L summer at the New York Civil Liberties Union and her 2L summer at Americans United. After graduating this spring, she's excited to start her career by clerking for two years. She can't wait to see what comes after that!

10/02/2026

Melissa Itzkowitz is a student attorney for the Civil Rights Litigation Initiative and a 3L at the University of Michigan Law School. Melissa is from the Boston area and earned her BA at Barnard College majoring in anthropology and minoring in Spanish and Latin American studies. She also holds an MA in social sciences and anthropology from the University of Chicago.

At Michigan Law, Melissa is the Executive Articles Editor for the Michigan Journal of Race & Law and a senior judge for Professor Kerry Kornblatt's legal practice class. She spent her 1L summer at Farmworker Legal Services in Ypsilanti and her 2L summer at civil rights firm Pitt McGehee Palmer Bonanni & Rivers in Royal Oak. She is also an anthropology PhD student at the University of Michigan.

09/30/2026

Om Shah (he/him) is a 2L at the University of Michigan Law School and a student attorney with the Civil Rights Litigation Initiative. He is from Troy, Michigan, and received a B.A. in Public Policy with a focus in Civil Rights from the University of Michigan's Ford School.

At Michigan Law, Om serves on the boards of the National Lawyers Guild, MDefenders, and American Civil Liberties Union student organizations. He is also an Associate Editor for the Michigan Journal of Race & Law. He is passionate about combatting mass incarceration, and, after graduating, plans to do so as a public defender. In his free time, Om enjoys exploring new hobbies, including blacksmithing, trapeze, and ice climbing.