Public Citizen
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Public Citizen is an American non-profit, progressive<ref>Hulse, Carl (September 30, 2014). "Support Strong for Regulating Politics and Nonprofits". New York Times. nytimes.com. Retrieved 2017-09-21.</ref> consumer rights advocacy group, and think tank based in Washington, D.C. It was founded in 1971 by the American activist and lawyer Ralph Nader.
Lobbying effortsEdit
Public Citizen advocates before all three branches of the United States federal government.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Its five divisions include Congress Watch; Energy; Global Trade Watch; the Health Research Group;<ref name ="aboutus" /> and Public Citizen Litigation Group, a nationally prominent public interest law firm founded by Alan Morrison and known for its Supreme Court and appellate practice.<ref>"Courting Change: The Story of the Public Citizen Litigation Group Template:Webarchive". Public Citizen. citizen.org. Retrieved 2017-09-21.</ref>
Among other issues, Public Citizen has been a public voice on drug pricing. For example, they advocated for Gilead Sciences to test GS-441524, a cheaper alternative to remdesivir. <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
HistoryEdit
In 1968, Nader recruited seven volunteer law students, dubbed "Nader's Raiders" by the Washington press corps, to evaluate the efficacy and operation of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The group's ensuing report, which criticized the body as "ineffective" and "passive" led to an American Bar Association investigation of the FTC. Based on the results of that second study, Richard Nixon revitalized the agency and sent it on a path of vigorous consumer protection and antitrust enforcement for the rest of the 1970s.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Nader's Raiders became involved in such issues as nuclear safety, international trade, regulation of insecticides, meat processing, pension reform, land use, and banking.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Following the publication of the report, Nader founded Public Citizen in 1971 to engage in public interest lobbying and activism on issues of consumer rights.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He served on its board of directors until 1980.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="founding">"Nader Forms Unit to Seek Donations". New York Times. June 2, 1971. p. 16. Retrieved 2017-09-21.</ref>
People associated with Public CitizenEdit
- Ralph Nader, founder
- Joan Claybrook, first executive director
- Lisa Gilbert, current co-president<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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- Robert Weissman, current co-president <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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- Donna Edwards, former U.S. Representative<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- Alan Morrison, co-founder
- Paul Alan Levy litigator on labor and free speech issues
- Mark Green, former New York City Public Advocate<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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- Peter Maybarduk, director, Access to Medicines <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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- Melinda St. Louis, director, Global Trade Watch<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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- Lori Wallach, founder, Global Trade Watch
- Sidney M. Wolfe, director, Health Research Group
- Phil Radford, former organizer, Global Trade Watch
- Wenonah Hauter, executive director, Food & Water Watch
See alsoEdit
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
Template:Associated with Public Citizen Template:U.S. anti-nuclear Template:Ralph Nader