View source for Public Citizen

{{Short description|Think tank and progressive advocacy group}}
{{Infobox organization
| name                     = Public Citizen Inc.<br />Public Citizen Foundation
| logo                     = Public Citizen logo.svg
| image                    = Northwest corner of 20th & Q Streets, N.W..JPG
| caption                  = Public Citizen's headquarters in Washington, D.C.
| Non-profit_type          = [[Nonprofit organization]]
| founded_date             = 1971 by [[Ralph Nader]] in the [[United States|US]]
| location                 = [[Washington D.C.]]
| key_people               = Robert Weissman (President)<br />Mark A. Chavez (Foundation Chair)<br />Jason Adkins (Inc. Chair)<br />[[Joan Claybrook]] (President emeritus)
| type                     = Think tank
| area_served              = Nationwide (US)
| focus                    = [[Consumer advocacy]]
| method                   = [[Research]], [[lobbying]], litigation and appeals, media attention, direct-appeal campaigns
| revenue                  = $19,904,796<ref>{{Cite web | title=Public Citizen Foundation, Inc. Financial Statements | url=https://www.citizen.org/wp-content/uploads/Public-Citizen-Foundation-Inc.-FS-3.pdf | publisher=Public Citizen |date= September 30, 2024 | access-date=September 25, 2025}}</ref>
| revenue_year             = 2024
| website                  = https://www.citizen.org
| homepage                 = {{url|https://www.citizen.org/}}
}}
[[File:Wordmark Public Citizen.svg|thumb|Wordmark]]
'''Public Citizen''' is an American non-profit, [[Progressivism in the United States|progressive]]<ref>Hulse, Carl (September&nbsp;30, 2014). "[https://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2014/09/30/irs-political-groups-regulation-poll/?ref=topics Support Strong for Regulating Politics and Nonprofits]". ''New York Times''. nytimes.com. Retrieved 2017-09-21.</ref> [[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]].

==Lobbying efforts==
Public Citizen advocates before all three branches of the [[United States federal government]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2010-10-06 |title=About Public Citizen |url=https://www.citizen.org/about/ |access-date=2024-08-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101006083114/https://www.citizen.org/about/ |archive-date=2010-10-06 }}</ref> Its five divisions include Congress Watch; Energy; [[Global Trade Watch]]; the Health Research Group;<ref name ="aboutus" /> 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.<ref>"[https://www.citizen.org/article/litigation-group-courting-change Courting Change: The Story of the Public Citizen Litigation Group] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180613234625/https://www.citizen.org/article/litigation-group-courting-change |date=2018-06-13 }}". Public Citizen. citizen.org. Retrieved 2017-09-21.</ref>

Among other issues, Public Citizen has been a public voice on [[Prescription drug prices in the United States|drug pricing]]. For example, they advocated for [[Gilead Sciences]] to test [[GS-441524]], a cheaper alternative to [[remdesivir]]. <ref>{{cite web |last1=Dardick |first1=Hal |title=In search for COVID-19 treatments, consumer group pushes drugmaker Gilead to test alternative to remdesivir |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/coronavirus/ct-coronavirus-remdesivir-related-drug-human-trials-20200804-irrgrszhtvawlhm3a4ofnuc44u-story.html |website=Chicago Tribune |date=3 August 2020 |publisher=Chicago Tribune Media Group |access-date=14 August 2022}}</ref>

==Activism==
Public Citizen has also been active organizing rallies and other actions in support of democracy and seeking to reduce the influence of money on politics. In 2012 they helped to organize a week-long event in Washington, D.C. to educate, raise awareness and seek support for efforts to pass a Constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court's [[Citizens United v. FEC | Citizens United ]] decision.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Blumenthal |first=Paul |last2=HuffPost |date=2012-06-14 |title=Activists Organize Weeklong Hit Against Citizens United |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/citizens-united-constitutional-amendment-resolutions-week_n_1598153 |access-date=2025-07-31 |website=HuffPost |language=en}}</ref> They have worked successfully to get state legislatures to call for Citizens United to be overturned.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Khurshid |first=Samar |title=New York One Signature Away from Calling for Overturn of Citizens United |url=https://www.gothamgazette.com/index.php/government/6080-new-york-one-signature-away-from-calling-for-overturn-of-citizens-united |access-date=2025-07-31 |website=Gotham Gazette |language=en-gb}}</ref> In 2025, they helped organize over 2,000 [[No Kings (disambiguation)|No Kings Protests]] across the United States.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Yang |first=John |date=June 14, 2025 |title=Millions turn out nationwide for ‘No Kings’ protests against Trump administration |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/millions-turn-out-nationwide-for-no-kings-protests-against-trump-administration |access-date=July 31, 2025 |work=PBS News}}</ref>

==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.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://muse.jhu.edu | title=The Little Old Lady Has Teeth: The U.S. Federal Trade Commission and the Advertising Industry, 1970–1973 |publisher=Advertising & Society Review 12.4| author=Niesen, Molly |access-date=July 19, 2012}}</ref>

Nader's Raiders became involved in such issues as nuclear safety, international trade, regulation of insecticides, meat processing, pension reform, land use, and banking.<ref>{{Cite web |title="Nader's Raiders" 1968-1974 |author=Doyle, Jack |date=2013-03-31 |url=https://pophistorydig.com/topics/naders-raiders-1968-1974/ |publisher=Pop History Dig |access-date=2024-08-16 |website=pophistorydig.com}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{Cite news |date=June 2, 1971 |title=NADER FORMS UNIT TO SEEK DONATIONS |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1971/06/02/archives/nader-forms-unit-to-seek-donations.html |access-date=July 18, 2023 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> He served on its board of directors until 1980.<ref>{{Cite news |date=November 2, 1980 |title=Nader Resigns as Chief Of Public Citizen Inc. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1980/11/02/archives/nader-resigns-as-chief-of-public-citizen-inc.html |access-date=July 18, 2023 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name="founding">"[https://www.nytimes.com/1971/06/02/archives/nader-forms-unit-to-seek-donations.html Nader Forms Unit to Seek Donations]". ''[[New York Times]]''. June 2, 1971. p.&nbsp;16. Retrieved 2017-09-21.</ref>

==People associated with Public Citizen==
*[[Ralph Nader]], founder
*[[Alan Morrison (lawyer)|Alan Morrison]], co-founder
*[[Joan Claybrook]], first executive director
* Lisa Gilbert, current co-president<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-07-15 |title=Lisa Gilbert Named Co-President of Public Citizen Alongside Robert Weissman |url=https://www.citizen.org/news/lisa-gilbert-named-co-president-of-public-citizen-alongside-robert-weissman/ |access-date=2025-03-27 |website=Public Citizen |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Giorno |first=Taylor |date=2024-07-18 |title=Lobbying World: Public Citizen appoints new co-president |url=https://thehill.com/lobbying/4777895-lobbying-world-public-citizen-invariant-mpa/ |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20240920220911/https://thehill.com/lobbying/4777895-lobbying-world-public-citizen-invariant-mpa/ |archive-date=2024-09-20 |access-date=2025-03-27 |work=The Hill |language=en-US}}</ref>
* Robert Weissman, current co-president<ref>{{cite web |title=Robert Weissman, Longtime Corporate Accountability Expert and Activist, Is Public Citizen’s New President |url=https://www.citizen.org/news/robert-weissman-longtime-corporate-accountability-expert-and-activist-is-public-citizens-new-president/ |website=Public Citizen |access-date=13 February 2025}}</ref>
*[[Donna Edwards]], former [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. Representative]]<ref>{{Cite news|title=Donna Edwards, a political maverick, says her national experience will boost Prince George's|language=en-US|newspaper=Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/campaigning-as-a-political-outsider-donna-edwards-says-her-national-experience-will-boost-prince-georges/2018/05/22/cfa64e54-5246-11e8-a551-5b648abe29ef_story.html|access-date=2021-10-25|issn=0190-8286}}</ref>
*[[Mark Green (New York politician)|Mark Green]], former [[New York City Public Advocate]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 1, 2006 |title=Public Citizen - 35th Anniversary Issue |url=https://www.citizen.org/wp-content/uploads/pcn_35annmagweb.pdf}}</ref>
*[[Wenonah Hauter]], executive director, [[Food & Water Watch]]
*[[Paul Alan Levy]], litigator on labor and free speech issues
*Peter Maybarduk, director, Access to Medicines<ref>{{cite web |title=Peter Maybarduk |url=https://www.citizen.org/about/person/peter-maybarduk/ |access-date=13 February 2025}}</ref>
*[[Phil Radford]], former organizer, [[Global Trade Watch]]
*Melinda St. Louis, director, [[Global Trade Watch]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Global Trade Watch |url=https://www.citizen.org/about/staff/global-trade-watch/ |access-date=2024-08-16 |website=Public Citizen |language=en}}</ref>
*[[Lori Wallach]], founder, [[Global Trade Watch]]
*[[Sidney M. Wolfe]], director, [[Health Research Group]]

==See also==
* [[Consumer Project on Technology]]
* [[Food & Water Watch]]
* [[Anti-nuclear movement in the United States]]

==References==
{{reflist|refs =
<ref name ="aboutus">[http://www.citizen.org/about/ About Public Citizen]</ref>}}

==External links==
*[https://citizen.org/ Public Citizen Website]

{{Associated with Public Citizen |state=expanded}}
{{U.S. anti-nuclear}}
{{Ralph Nader}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Public Citizen| ]]
[[Category:Dupont Circle]]
[[Category:Government watchdog groups in the United States]]
[[Category:Political advocacy groups in the United States]]
[[Category:Organizations established in 1971]]
[[Category:Ralph Nader]]
[[Category:Progressive organizations in the United States]]