2020-current, Payne vs. DeBlasio, US Federal Civil Rights Lawsuit. This is a civil rights lawsuit against the NYPD for violence against protestors during the 2020 George Floyd Protests. As a plaintiff in this lawsuit, I help draft the new policy for policing at protests. This is some of the most substantial police reform in US history. It involves a tiered system for deployment of officers at protests and puts many safety and accountability measures in place, such as banning the use of helicopters for intimidating protestors and the use of kettling.
Press release: https://www.nyclu.org/press-release/payne-v-de-blasio-plaintiffs-respond-nypd-protest-reforms
Policy: https://www.nyclu.org/uploads/2023/09/1099-2_settlement_agreement.pdf
2020-2021, Coney Island Prep vs. US Health and Human Services et al., US Federal Civil Rights Lawsuit. This was a civil rights lawsuit against HHS and the CDC for not delivering on stator reporting on minority health and racial equity during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. As an expert witness I provided insight into the short fallings of government agencies regarding policy implementation with respect to reporting requirements and data collection regarding minority health and racial justice. This lawsuit resulted in HHS and CDC delivering on several of their reporting and data collection requirements.
Press release: https://www.ballardspahr.com/insights/news/2021/11/following-lawsuit-federal-health-agencies-finally-deliver-on-pandemic-related-duties
Declaration from Micaela Martinez: https://memartinez.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/declaration-of-micaela-martinez-10.29.20_resign.pdf
2021-2022, New Yorkers for Social Justice: A Citizens’ Commission Making Recommendations to Eric Adams. I was a member of NYC’s Social Justice Commission. The commission drafted policy recommendations that the NYC Mayor could implement to address social justice issues in NYC. The policy recommendation fall within ten chapters: (1) Freedom of Speech, (2) Policing and the Criminal Legal System, (3) Reforming and Closing Rikers, (4) Housing and Homelessness, (5) Health, (6) Heat, (7) Climate Change and Environment, (8) Land Use and a Comprehensive Planning Framework, (9) Economic Development, and (10) Education. As a commission member, I helped develop the policies in each chapter, with the exception of Policing and the Criminal Legal System (I had to recuse myself due to Payne vs. DeBlasio). I also lead the drafting of the policies in three chapters: Health, Heat, and Climate Change and Environment.
Press release: https://www.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/064-22/mayor-adams-receives-report-social-justice-commission#/0
2023, Amendments to the UN Minamata Convention on Mercury. In collaboration with Zero Mercury Working Group, and supported by countries of the UN African Region, I helped draft and advocate for two amendments introduced to the UN Minamata Convention on Mercury in 2023. One amendment (amendment to Annex A, Part I), was to remove the 1 ppm (part per million) threshold when defining mercury-added cosmetics, this amendment passed. The second amendment (amendment to Annex A, Part II) was to phase out sale and display for sale of mercury added cosmetics, this amendment did not pass; however, it did result in a UN Secretariate report on the challenges of addressing mercury added cosmetics, which will be published in 2025.
Press release: https://www.zeromercury.org/un-convention-agrees-to-phase-mercury-out-of-cosmetics-by-2025/
UN Amendments: https://minamataconvention.org/en/amendments
2023, US Federal Safer Beauty Bills Package. I assisted collaborators at Breast Cancer Prevention Partners in their drafting of The Cosmetic Safety for Communities of Color and Professional Salon Workers Act of 2023. This is one of four acts in the US Federal Safer Beauty Bills Package.
Safer Beauty Bills Package Information: https://www.bcpp.org/resource/safer-beauty-bill-package/
2023-2024, Report to UN Minamata Convention on Mercury Secretariate on Challenges in Preventing the Manufacture, Import, and Export of Mercury-added Cosmetics and Measures for Addressing These Challenges. I was the lead author of the report submitted on behalf of WE ACT for Environmental Justice. This report details challenges of implementing current policy and we proposed new policies to address these challenges.
Link to Report: https://memartinez.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/we_act_minamata_report_for_distribution.pdf
2023-2024, Policy Implementation Advocacy. In addition to that listed above, I advocated for policy implementation in three major areas. (1) I advocated for the US FDA to implement enforcement activities against mercury added cosmetics based on the Minamata Convention on Mercury. (2) I advocated for the implementation of a new NY State law, which amended section 37-0117 of the Environmental Conservation Law (ECL) and took effect on June 1, 2023. Under ECL 37-0117(8), the sale, and display for sale, of mercury added cosmetics is banned in NY. My advocacy in this area was with the NY Dept of Env. Conservation and the NY Attorney General’s Office. (3) I was also awarded, as Principal Investigator, a $2M grant from the EPA to study the cumulative impacts of structural racism. This research would inform the implantation of cumulative impacts assessments by US states, such as NY. However, this federal grant was cancelled in 2025.
The Martinez Lab 