The Top 20 CrowdJustice Cases
2023-2024

2. Help us fight the government's cruel Rwanda plan

Raised £61,000 by 2,271 Backers (via 2 campaigns)

Frontline refugee charity, Asylum Aid fought back against the government’s “inhumane” plan to send asylum seekers from the UK to Rwanda. The charity said “Making sure that all people fleeing countries where they are denied their rights are offered a genuinely fair process to make their case for protection has been a cornerstone of our justice system since at least the Second World War. Asylum Aid’s vision is that all those who come to the UK in need of protection from persecution and other forms of human cruelty obtain it, and are treated fairly and with dignity in the process.”

The Rwanda scheme was recently scrapped by the new Government.

3. Help us challenge the government’s inadequate climate strategy – again

Raised £12,290 by 497 Backers

In February 2024, environmental charity Friends of the Earth, alongside the other claimants ClientEarth and Good Law Project, took the government to court and won for not doing enough to meet its targets for cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

Friends of the Earth describe the victory: “This landmark legal ruling says the government’s plan to cut carbon emissions is unlawful. Crucially, the judge has also ordered the government to re-write the plan. We believe this adds huge weight to our demand for a credible new plan. One that achieves our climate targets and shares the benefits of climate action fairly.”

4. Free School Meals - Disability Inclusion

Raised £8,572 by 200 Backers

Campaigner and mum, Natalie Hay challenged local authorities in the UK for their refusal to provide free school meals for more than 100,000 disabled children who cannot attend school. Natalie won her case forcing the government to change guidance on free school meals.

Alex Rook, of Rook Irwin Sweeney, said: “In response to this campaign, the Secretary of State conceded that the current position is potentially discriminatory, and has updated its free school meals guidance to make it clear that the Government expect local authorities to consider making equivalent food provision for children who are receiving “education otherwise than at school” under section 61 of the Children and Families Act 2014.”

5. Julian Assange’s High Court fight against extradition

Raised £301,272 by 6,158 Backers

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange fought extradition from the UK for more than 10 years, after his website published confidential US documents which disclosed information about the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. In 2024, Assange was granted permission by the High Court to bring a new appeal against extradition to the US.

Stella Assange, human rights lawyer and wife of Julian Assange said: “Press freedom groups consider the indictment against Julian the single gravest threat to press freedom in the US, the UK and Europe, because of its extraterritorial nature. It is the first ever indictment of a publisher under the US Espionage Act.”

Assange finally walked free in June 2024.

6. Support unprecedented youth climate case against 32 European countries

Raised £172,265 by 4,354 Backers (via 2 campaigns)

In one of the only CrowdJustice cases to go all the way to the European Court of Human Rights, six Portuguese young people took unprecedented legal action against 32 countries, arguing that their governments were acting too slowly on climate change. The judgement was handed down in April 2024.

Global Legal Action Network, who represented the claimants, describe the judgement: “While the ECtHR held that our case was inadmissible, it issued a landmark ruling in a case brought by a group of Senior Swiss Women against Switzerland, which was linked to ours. Its ruling is unequivocal that government failure to rapidly cut emissions is a violation of human rights.”

7. Planning challenge to the Bibby Stockholm barge

Raised £37,293 by 1,414 Backers

A local councillor from Dorset took legal action to challenge the Bibby Stockholm barge accommodation for asylum seekers, which she says "is an inhumane way to treat those fleeing from war, conflict or persecution."

Although her judicial review claim was not successful in court, in July 2024, the new Government announced that it would not renew the Bibby Stockholm’s contract when it expires in December 2024.

Helen Baron of Deighton Peirce Glynn said: “Crowdfunding has made this case possible – we simply would not have been able to pursue it otherwise. Our client would not have been able to take the financial risk of bringing the case without the protection and support that the crowdfunding has offered. As well as the financial support, we have been really buoyed by the solidarity and messages of support, and touched by peoples’ contributions."

8. Support Lynn’s struggle: Justice for Pensioners!

Raised £9,129 by 522 Backers

Millions of pensioners, like Lynn, are being prevented from accessing the courts. In 2022, Lynn was violently assaulted and now she is seeking justice. However, Lynn’s State Pension puts her just £70 over the ‘disposable income threshold’ for Legal Aid to help with her case.

Lynn is being supported by Public Interest Law Centre who say: "This threshold was set over ten years ago before the cost of living crisis began and food and energy prices were far, far lower. Lynn’s age means that she must access a state pension and housing benefit rather than universal credit. If she was below the pensionable age, she would be able to get legal aid. It is purely the fact that she’s a pensioner that is preventing her from accessing justice."

The outcome of Lynn’s case is awaited.

10. High Court Challenge: Stop Government diluting local net zero plans

Raised £18,750 by 357 Backers

In March 2023, government planning inspectors “scuppered” West Oxfordshire District Council’s plans for the development of Salt Cross Garden Village, which was intended to be carbon net-zero and 100% powered by on-site renewables. The planning report stated that the plans were too ambitious. Almost one year later, Rights Community Action won their High Court battle to stop the government from diluting local net zero plans.

The group said: “This case was David v Goliath; on one side, a community and local council fighting for the most ambitious net zero standards for a new local area. On the other, a developer seemingly concerned only about profit, and a Government determined to undermine local democracy and local voices.”

11. Support medics who raised the alarm on the climate emergency

Raised £52,214 by 1,262 Backers

In June 2024, a Crown Court trial of six medics charged with criminal damage against JP Morgan during a "peaceful action against fossil fuel funding”, ended with the jury unable to convict despite all legal defences having been removed. The medics now face a retrial in 2025.

Speaking after the verdict, Dr Alice Clack said: “We’re grateful to the jury for bringing moral sense and humanity into the courtroom.

The outcome doesn’t bring back the countless lives already lost to JP Morgan’s fossil fuel addiction, in this country and around the world. But it gives an indication of the public support for medical practitioners willing to put their bodies on the line. The climate crisis is a health crisis."

12. Stop the plans to centralise NHS health data without consent

Raised £61,169 by 2880 Backers

Just Treatment, Doctors’ Association UK and the National Pensioners Convention are taking legal action over the NHS Federated Data Platform (FDP), “the largest centralisation of our health data in the history of the health service”. The campaigners are concerned about the sharing of sensitive patient data without consent.

The coalition of health organisations have said: "We believe that with appropriate public engagement and patient consent, most people would support and encourage improved use of health data. Done right, the FDP could drive improvements to health care and present huge opportunities for the NHS and for patients. But done wrong, we risk another expensive failed IT project that damages the sacred relationship of trust that must exist between patients and doctors."

13. Make Food Waste Count!

Raised £5,019 by 115 Backers

Campaigning charity, Feedback’s legal challenge caused the government to U-turn on what they described as “the reckless decision to scrap plans for mandatory food waste measurement.” The government is now considering bringing in a groundbreaking new food waste law to make businesses measure and publish their food waste. Feedback are hopeful that the new government are likely to introduce the measure.

Feedback say that: “In the UK, some 10.4 to 13 million tonnes of food are wasted annually, equivalent to up to one-third of the country's 40 million tonnes of yearly food imports. Halving UK food waste would save close to 1 million hectares of cropland domestically and overseas which could produce enough potatoes and peas to feed 28% of the UK's population their yearly calories.”

14.Three Foster Carers Take on Government

Raised £5,480 by 182 Backers

Ella Lawrence of TMP Solicitors describes the case: Foster Carers are classified as neither workers nor employees, meaning they are denied fundamental employment rights. Three foster carers have brought a test claim to challenge this in the East London Employment Tribunal.

"Foster Carers look after the country's most vulnerable children and need employment protection like any other government employee. This test case is representative of thousands of Foster Carers nationwide who, for too long, have been overlooked. Such is the importance of this case it is likely to end up in the Supreme Court because a win in the East London Employment Tribunal will be seismic. If they lose, then the foster carers are determined to fight on”. The judgement is awaited.

15. Save Stonehenge World Heritage Site

Raised £194,488 by 6,801 Backers (via 2 campaigns)

The Save Stonehenge Alliance say that they are “determined to protect the Stonehenge landscape for future generations.” They took legal action to challenge the Government’s decision to approve the construction of a £2.5 billion dual carriageway through the Stonehenge World Heritage Site.

The campaigners successfully challenged the original decision to approve the scheme back in 2021. The High Court ruled in their favour and quashed the development consent. However, the Government decided to approve the scheme for a second time, "continuing to ignore the objections of UNESCO and the recommendation of their own planning inspectors."

The group went back to court in May 2024. In July, the new Government announced it was scrapping the road scheme.

16. Bloody Truth: The Nuclear Test Veterans’ Search for Justice

Raised £62,168 by 792 Backers

Oli Troen of McCue, Jury and Partners describes the case: “In March 2024 veterans of the UK’s Nuclear Weapons Tests - which took place in the 1950s and 60s - launched a fresh legal action along with their families against the Ministry of Defence. Based on new evidence, this landmark claim aims to secure the truth about what really happened in the South Pacific all those years ago.

The Veterans and their families say that the Ministry of Defence is withholding vital medical records that would show the Veterans were exposed to high levels of radiation, something the Veterans have to date been unable to prove in Court.”

17. End UK government blacklisting of private citizens

Raised £23,145 by 1,092 Backers

Defence expert, Dan Kaszeta was due to speak at a conference hosted by a branch of the Ministry of Defence, when he received an email informing him that he had been “disinvited because a check on his social media made in accordance with Cabinet Office rules had identified material that criticised government officials or policy”.

Dan is now working on legal action alongside human rights lawyers at Leigh Day to prevent this from happening to anyone else. Dan’s case has already secured a “substantive victory” with a number of these government “due diligence" policies being withdrawn.

18.Stop The Badger Cull U-Turn

Raised £12,721 from 623 Backers

Campaigners from wildlife conservation group, The Badger Crowd, have long been fighting badger cull policies and raising funds on CrowdJustice to support their legal work. According to a report in The Guardian, badger culling “has failed to get support of eminent scientists over more than a decade and has caused some badger populations to go locally extinct.”

In March 2024, DEFRA launched a 5-week consultation on their “‘badger control policy”. Tom Langton of the Badger Crowd, described the consultation as “dreadfully flawed” saying that the new policy “will allow poorly controlled mass badger culling to be arranged by the government's chief vet.”

The campaign continues as the next steps from the consultation are awaited.

19. The fight to save London’s iconic landmarks

Raised £64,815 by 754 (via 3 separate campaigns)

Three separate campaigns have been launched on CrowdJustice over the last 12 months to save some of the capital’s most iconic landmarks.

Save Museum Street are battling the development of a new office building. They say it will "destroy the conservation area, with the tower being visible from the British Museum and Bedford Square."

Barbican Quarter Action are trying to "stop the greedy demolition of Bastion House and the Museum of London" which they describe as "internationally recognised icons of British post-war urban design".

Save Our South Bank are taking legal action to challenge “plans for a vast office development, which they say “will loom over the skyline, poised to irreversibly alter the character of this beloved area.”

20. Hold the British Museum accountable for copyright infringement

Raised £19,200 by 701 Backers

Writer, poet, and translator, Yilin Wang took on the British Museum over their unauthorised use of her translation of Chinese feminist poet Qiu Jin's poetry—and won. Their case was described as one of the “defining art events of 2023” by ARTNews.

Jon Sharples of Howard Kennedy said: “The odds are stacked against an individual when they are faced with an institution and all its resources, including a team of in-house lawyers. Over 700 people supported Yilin's campaign and enabled her to fight a point of principle that has ramifications far beyond her case, ultimately raising standards for everyone in the sector."