Note from James: Members and friends of the MLTF have received this letter a few weeks ago, but I thought we would go ahead and share this on our website and social media as well. Please remember that all donations received by the MLTF by the end of the day (December 31, 2025), can be claimed as a US income tax deduction to the extent allowed under the law.
Dear Members and Friends of the MLTF,
On behalf of the NLG Military Law Task Force, we are once again asking you to renew your membership and, if you are able, make a donation to the MLTF. Dues remain at $25. As members, you have been providing support for military resisters and objectors, advice and advocacy for thousands of individual soldiers and veterans, and training for new lawyers and counselors.
The events of the past year have been directly related to the work of the Task Force. When it became known that active-duty U.S. soldiers had been among those who took part in the attempted insurrection in Washington, D.C. on January 6, 2021, many of us in the Military Law Task Force were saddened but not surprised. That the U.S. military has been less than vigorous in rooting out white supremacist activity in its ranks has long been clear, although the extent of laxity of enforcement has been hard to gauge because MLTF queries under FOIA have gone unanswered.
Nonetheless, the Military Law Task Force has made headway, including its role in the formation of the Anti-Racism Project, helping to bring together members of About Face (formerly Iraq Veterans Against the War), Veterans for Peace, the Center on Conscience and War and other groups. The MLTF has a subcommittee tracking the congressional initiatives to either broaden draft registration or abolish it. We are also reconstituting our Women’s Project which has developed materials that have the latest and most up-to-date information regarding the military’s policies and procedures for sexual assault victims. The MLTF needs donations to help distribute and publicize these necessary publications. The newsletter of the MLTF, On Watch, continues to be published quarterly.
You can find more information on the MLTF website at www.nlgmltf.org. The website is home to materials on a host of other legal issues related to military law. It now includes CLE presentations, and we hope to add more in the near future. Your dues help us to retain people with the proper technical expertise to make the site as good as it can be. You can “Like” the MLTF on Facebook and “Follow” it on Twitter.
Unfortunately, these and other areas of Military Law Task Force work have been carried out with a minimal budget. It’s fair to say that we’re operating on a shoe string. That’s where you come in. Despite our best efforts, the Military Law Task Force has not been able to obtain grant money. Our only source of revenues has been you, members and friends who have supported the Military Law Task Force with your dues payments, donations, and recurring gifts.
We are asking you renew your dues or make a contribution at this time. For larger donors, checks payable to the National Lawyers Guild Foundation, earmarked for the Military Law Task Force, are tax deductible. Lawyer members can also deduct your dues payment. You can also go to the website and click on the red button at the top that says “Donate.” And please consider a recurring donation. $5 or $10 a month may seem like a small contribution, but it is a key component of funding for the Task Force.
We urge you to give generously, by increasing your dues payment or donation. Thank you.
Kathy Gilberd, Executive Director, MLTF Jeffrey Lake, Chair, MLTF
