The Jubilee Blog

Jubilee USA's Amicus Brief

by Andrew Hanauer

Last week, Jubilee USA filed an Amicus Brief to the US Supreme Court in the Argentina/NML Capital "Debt Trial of the Century." 

Our brief was co-signed by nearly 80 faith communities and religious and development organizations, and was covered extensively in the press.  Nearly 2,000 of our supporters have written to Congress expressing support for the principles enshrined in our filing.  We are proud to have brought the voices of millions of the world's poorest people to the Supreme Court in what will be a profoundly important case.

We are also proud of the brief itself, which begins like a prayer, becomes a doctoral thesis summary, and ends like a sermon.  Below you can read it for yourself.

One line from the brief continues to resonate most heavily with our supporters and those involved in the issue of predatory financial behavior:

"Using law to dispossess the poor for the pleasure of the powerful offends not only the sense of justice embodied in United States policy, but the even more ancient principles of biblical justice revealed in the scriptures of our faiths."

READ THE FULL BRIEF

National Catholic Reporter Article: Argentina Debt Case Will Impact More People than Hobby Lobby Case

The following is an excerpt from an article written yesterday in the National Catholic Reporter.  The article, written by Michael Sean Winters, argues that of the two Supreme Court cases garnering press coverage right now, the Argentina/NML Capital "Debt Trial of the Century" will impact more people than the "Hobby Lobby" case.  Winters praises Jubilee USA for its amicus brief in the case and for its efforts to stop the actions of predatory hedge funds.  (Emphases in article added)

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...Whatever the Court decides [in the Hobby Lobby case], the ramifications for First Amendment jurisprudence will be large. Still, the bigger decision the Court faces is whether or not to hear the case involving the predatory hedge funds and Argentina. I say this is a bigger decision because it has the potential to inflict greater harm on more people than providing contraception to anyone or not. It also has the potential to drastically limit the ability of countries to restructure debt in the future, which could turn relatively limited, albeit wrenching, sovereign debt crises into worldwide economic instability. If the Court sides with the hedge funds, we will most definitely have a real “parade of horribles."

Read the full article here.

 

Jubilee USA and 78 Partners File to Supreme Court in Landmark Debt Case

by Arielle Retrosi

On Monday, 79 religious and development groups joined Jubilee USA Network to file with the US Supreme Court in the case between Argentina and NML Capital. The Amicus Curiae brief takes the side of Argentina because the precedent of the case impacts predatory behavior on vulnerable populations. The friend-of-the-court brief argues that the case will have a detrimental impact on the poor, undo bipartisan United States debt policy and cause global financial instability. Filers joining Jubilee USA include: American Jewish World Service, Church World Service, Action Aid USA, numerous synagogues and churches across the US and a deluge of Catholic religious orders of nuns and priests. The full list of the 79 groups and Jubilee USA's Amicus Curiae is available on Jubilee USA's website. 

"At the end of the day, this case is about a precedent that could expose developing economies to extreme predatory behavior," noted Kent Spriggs the attorney representing the 79 groups "The Supreme Court's decision will affirm or harm current bipartisan US debt policy." 

Empathy Training at the World Economic Forum

By Emily Bayens

In January, business executives and government officials joined together for one of the most noteworthy events of the year: the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland. Some of the men and women who attended the event were able to see a side of life that is far removed from the luxuries typically associated with Davos. Escaping from the conference rooms, some WEF participants partook in what may be one of the most influential workshops they will ever experience.

Attendees of the 2014 WEF in Davos had the opportunity to participate in the unique experience known as Refugee Run, a lesson in empathy training conducted by Crossroads, a non-profit organization based in Hong Kong, China. The group’s name is largely influenced by their overall goal: bridging the most desperate, suffering individuals, particularly refugees, with those who can make a difference, such as governments, companies, and nongovernmental organizations. Instead of using a traditional approach to spread information on the world’s oppressed, Crossroads raises awareness by taking corporate executives and politicians, such as those who attended the WEF last week, and putting them through a type of empathy training that takes the form of a refugee-experience simulation.