On July 27, President Clinton held a ceremony at the White House to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the signing of the legislation that created the Legal Services Corporation (LSC). Among those in attendance at the ceremony were Hillary Clinton and Attorney General Janet Reno, as well as longtime Republican LSC supporters Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) and Rep. Jim Ramstad (R-MN).
During the ceremony, both the President and Mrs. Clinton delivered speeches filled with overheated rhetoric claiming that the elimination of the scandal-ridden LSC would dramatically reduce the ability of the poor to gain legal representation in civil matters. Mrs. Clinton made the following statement: "Today, of the 40 million Americans living in poverty, almost half are children. Without the Legal Services Corporation, many of those children and their parents would have no place to turn." This claim, however, is simply false. Most legal services programs funded by LSC also receive funding from other sources which, in many cases, greatly exceeds the funding amount received from LSC. In addition, there are many legal services and pro bono programs across the country that receive no LSC funding-these groups would not be affected by cuts in LSC funding (or its elimination) at all. Finally, a recent study by former LSC Inspector General Dave Wilkinson has demonstrated that the amount of pro bono legal help given to the poor greatly dwarfs the amount of legal help delivered as a result of federal funding.
The Clintons' remarks at the LSC ceremony contained several other notable comments. Mrs. Clinton claimed that legal services programs constitute the "last line of defense" for "farmers losing their livelihood." This comment is ironic given that LSC-funded programs have unleashed a wave of damaging litigation against small farmers on behalf of migrant workers, many of whom are foreigners not even present in the U.S. when the lawsuits are filed. These suits have been disastrous for the farmers involved--many have lost their homes, businesses and families as a result of the legal services lawsuits.
For his part, President Clinton appeared to brush off recent scandals
involving LSC, such as case overcounting, taxpayer-funded trips to Caribbean
resorts and representation of foreigners in suits against American farmers, with
the following incredible remark: "Legal Services Corporation, even though
it's very young -- 25 years old -- is suffering from the infirmity of its
success." Given the record of scandal and corruption amassed by LSC, one
wonders what exactly constitutes Mr. Clinton's definition of "success."
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