The Century Freeway case began in 1972. It ended in 2017—45 years later.

Judge Harry Pregerson presided over it for decades. He kept promising he'd finally give up the case when he turned 80, but he never did.

Judge Pregerson understood what was at stake. The poorest communities in Los Angeles (Watts and Willowbrook) had no voice when wealthier areas successfully blocked freeways through their neighborhoods.

When the Century Freeway came through their communities, nobody was there to provide legal representation until CLIPI took the case.

After years of litigation, the settlement achieved something unprecedented: thousands of affordable housing units, job opportunities for impacted communities, the Green Line light rail system, and childcare facilities for project workers.

Judge Pregerson stayed with it until the end. It was only after his death in 2017 that the case was dismissed.

That kind of judicial commitment to justice isn't just rare; it's what makes transformative change possible.

CLIPI had the good fortune of landing in front of really good judges: Judge Pregerson, Judge Warren Ferguson in the Northrop case, and others who understood that public interest law requires persistence and institutional courage.

The Century Freeway case didn't just change how transportation infrastructure is built in Los Angeles. It demonstrated that justice sometimes takes a lifetime of commitment from lawyers and judges willing to see it through.