Judicial Advocacy Initiative

Taking the Cancer Fight to the Courts

This initiative identifies lawsuits and regulatory actions that impact the fight against cancer and files "friend of the court" briefs or comments to advocate on behalf of cancer patients and survivors, and all people touched by this terrible disease. The work accomplished by the Judicial Advocacy Initiative is made possible by law firms who are recruited by ACS CAN and who donate services to support its mission.

Initiative Priorities

Court decisions can have a major impact on the fight against cancer. ACS CAN engages most frequently in cases affecting access to healthcare and tobacco control. JAI takes the fight against cancer to the courts, protecting the interests of the cancer community.

Our Supporters

The JAI receives pro bono assistance from 11 law firms: Anderson & Kreiger, Akin, Baker Donelson, Dentons, Eversheds Sutherland, K&L Gates, Hogan Lovells, Kilpatrick Townsend, Morrison & Foerster, Wilentz Goldman & Spitzer, and Zuckerman Spaeder. Their donated services leverage a multi-sector partnership for the common good. They provide specialized expertise in a wide range of areas, from writing comments to regulatory agencies that govern medical research to tobacco control litigation. Their commitment to JAI indicates that respected professionals in the legal establishment believe the program can make a difference.

Commemorating 15 Years of Judicial Advocacy

In August 2023 we celebrated the 15th anniversary of the Judicial Advocacy Initiative (JAI) . Read the full blog post to learn more.

Access to Care

March 17, 2025

Preventing Discrimination Against LGBTQ Individuals in Health Services

Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability to individuals participating in any health program or activity that receives funding from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). HHS issued a ru

March 12, 2025

Defending Choice of Provider for Medicaid Beneficiaries

A case currently pending at the Supreme Court of the United States could have a major impact on access to care for Medicaid patients. The Medicaid Act has a provision stating that beneficiaries must be able to choose from “any qualified provider” for their care. Congress wrote this provision be

February 27, 2025

Defending Immigrants’ Access to Medicaid

Immigration policy of the Biden administration details how the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) interprets the “public charge” rule in a way that helps ensure that immigrants can access health care and other supplemental government services to which they are entitled by law, without causi

Tobacco Litigation

April 2, 2025

Supporting FDA in Marketing Denial Orders

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been issuing marketing denial orders (MDOs) for certain flavored e-cigarette products in accordance with Family Smoking and Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (TCA).

December 9, 2024

Venue for Flavored E-Cigarette Cases

ACS CAN worked with tobacco control partners in filing numerous amicus briefs supporting the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in cases across the nation in which the agency issued marketing denial orders (MDOs) for flavored e-cigarette products as part of the premarket review process.

November 29, 2024

Prohibiting Menthol in Cigarettes

ACS CAN supports prohibiting menthol flavor in tobacco products as part of a comprehensive flavor ban.

Healthy Eating and Active Living

April 16, 2018

Sugar-sweetened Beverages

Sugary drinks contribute to obesity, which is clearly associated with an increased risk of cancer development and recurrence, as well as decreased risk of survival, for many cancers. The city of Philadelphia enacted a tax on soda that was challenged in court.

October 31, 2017

San Francisco’s Law on Sugar-sweetened Beverage Advertising

Quality of Life

April 10, 2013

Protecting Cancer Survivors Against Discrimination

Comments Submitted to the EEOC

Medical Research

March 31, 2025

Supporting FDA Regulation of LDT's

Cancer patients rely on accurate and clinically valid diagnostic tests, which have become increasingly critical in the management of cancer.

May 24, 2013

Comments Submitted on Common Rule Sought to Ease Administrative Burden for Medical Researchers

The Office of Human Research Protections at the Department of Health and Human Services spent years considering changes to the Common Rule, which governs the conduct of medical research funded by 15 different federal agencies.

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