Public Citizen

Last updated
Public Citizen Inc.
Public Citizen Foundation
Founded1971 by Ralph Nader in the US
TypeThink tank
Focus Consumer advocacy
Location
Area served
Nationwide (US)
Method Research, lobbying, litigation and appeals, media attention, direct-appeal campaigns
Key people
Robert Weissman (President)
Mark A. Chavez (Foundation Chair)
Jason Adkins (Inc. Chair)
Joan Claybrook (President emeritus)
Revenue (2019)
$17,885,184 [1]
Website www.citizen.org
Actual Wordmark Wordmark Public Citizen.svg
Actual Wordmark

Public Citizen is an American non-profit, progressive [2] 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.

Contents

Lobbying efforts

Public Citizen advocates before all three branches of the United States federal government. [3] Its five divisions include Congress Watch; Energy; Global Trade Watch; the Health Research Group; [4] 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. [5]

For example, Public Citizen has been a public voice on matters related to drug policy and pricing, exemplified by advocacy surrounding Gilead Sciences and remdesivir, and the potentially cheaper alternative GS-441524. [6]

History

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. [7]

Nader's Raiders became involved in such issues as nuclear safety, international trade, regulation of insecticides, meat processing, pension reform, land use, and banking. [8]

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. [9] He served on its board of directors until 1980. [10] [11]

People associated with Public Citizen

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sidney M. Wolfe</span> American physician (1937–2024)

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This report is the result of a student task force exploration of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), completed over the course of a summer job led by Ralph Nader. The seven law student volunteers began their evaluation of the FTC in June 1968, and published a revised and expanded version of the report as a book in January 1969.

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References

  1. "2019 Year in Review" (PDF) (Annual report). Public Citizen. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  2. Hulse, Carl (September 30, 2014). "Support Strong for Regulating Politics and Nonprofits". New York Times. nytimes.com. Retrieved 2017-09-21.
  3. "About Public Citizen". 2010-10-06. Archived from the original on 2010-10-06. Retrieved 2024-08-18.
  4. About Public Citizen
  5. "Courting Change: The Story of the Public Citizen Litigation Group Archived 2018-06-13 at the Wayback Machine ". Public Citizen. citizen.org. Retrieved 2017-09-21.
  6. Dardick, Hal (3 August 2020). "In search for COVID-19 treatments, consumer group pushes drugmaker Gilead to test alternative to remdesivir". Chicago Tribune. Chicago Tribune Media Group. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
  7. Niesen, Molly. "The Little Old Lady Has Teeth: The U.S. Federal Trade Commission and the Advertising Industry, 1970–1973". Advertising & Society Review 12.4. Retrieved July 19, 2012.
  8. Doyle, Jack (2013-03-31). ""Nader's Raiders" 1968-1974". pophistorydig.com. Pop History Dig. Retrieved 2024-08-16.
  9. "NADER FORMS UNIT TO SEEK DONATIONS". The New York Times. June 2, 1971. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved July 18, 2023.
  10. "Nader Resigns as Chief Of Public Citizen Inc". The New York Times. November 2, 1980. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved July 18, 2023.
  11. "Nader Forms Unit to Seek Donations". New York Times . June 2, 1971. p. 16. Retrieved 2017-09-21.
  12. "Donna Edwards, a political maverick, says her national experience will boost Prince George's". Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved 2021-10-25.
  13. "Public Citizen - 35th Anniversary Issue" (PDF). November 1, 2006.
  14. "Global Trade Watch". Public Citizen. Retrieved 2024-08-16.