Tzedek DC files a brief as a friend of the court in support of allies seeking to stop the dismantling of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

Tzedek DC has filed an amicus—or friend of the court—brief in federal court urging it to end the illegal work stoppages and employee firings at the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). The shuttering of the CFPB would harm Tzedek DC, Tzedek DC clients, and DC residents.

The brief, filed in support of the National Treasury Employees Union and other allies’ suit seeking relief in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, shows how:

CFPB’s work bolsters Tzedek DC’s ability to ensure DC residents with low and moderate incomes can obtain legal protection in consumer-related matters, which disproportionately impact Black, Latino, and disabled residents.
CFPB guidance provides tools to protect the rights of clients experiencing debt, discrimination in lending, scams, and other consumer-related concerns.
CFPB’s public-facing resources and materials benefit DC residents and the general public.

“We stand with DC residents and people and organizations nationwide who have been rallying for the CFPB’s continued work and to stop the attempted unlawful dismantling by its current leadership,” said Tzedek DC Founding President and Director-Counsel Ariel Levinson-Waldman. “The 2008 financial crisis showed why we need a federal consumer financial cop on the beat.”

Since the CFPB began, DC residents have filed 31,796 complaints to the Bureau, more per capita than nearly every state. Between 2023 and 2024, the number of these complaints increased by 90%.

Tzedek DC’s Marissa Ditkowsky, Erik Goodman, Sarah Hollender, A.J. Huber, and Ariel Levinson-Waldman were on the brief, and Tzedek DC thanks our outstanding pro bono co-counsel Bill Pittard and Noah Brozinsky at Kaiser PLLC for partnering on this amicus brief.

To view the amicus brief, click here.

About Tzedek DC

Tzedek DC’s name is drawn from the ancient Jewish teaching “Tzedek, tzedek tirdof,” or “Justice, justice you shall pursue.” Headquartered at the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law, Tzedek DC’s mission is to safeguard the legal rights and financial health of DC residents with lower incomes facing the often-devastating consequences of debt collection and credit-related obstacles. This mission is carried out as anti-racism work in response to the massive wealth gaps tracking race in DC and nationwide. Tzedek DC seeks to serve and empower our client base, which is comprised of 90% Black people, 60% women, and 25% disabled community members. Our strategic approach combines three synergistic activities: (i) free direct services—legal representation and advice and financial counseling; (ii) working in coalition to make systemic change; and (iii) providing bilingual community legal education on debt collection, identity theft, and credit management. Since 2017, Tzedek DC has served over 4,000 client households in legal matters and catalyzed systemic reforms benefiting hundreds of thousands of DC residents.