Public Citizen

Public Citizen is an American non-profit, progressive^[2] 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.

Public Citizen Inc.
Public Citizen Foundation

Public Citizen's headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Founded	1971 by Ralph Nader in the US
Type	Think tank
Focus	Consumer advocacy
Location	Washington D.C.
Area served	Nationwide (US)
Method	Research, lobbying, litigation and appeals, media attention, direct-appeal campaigns
Key people	Robert Weissman (President) Mark A. Chavez (Foundation Chair) Jason Adkins (Inc. Chair) Joan Claybrook (President emeritus)
Revenue	$17,885,184[1] (2019)
Website	www.citizen.org

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Lobbying efforts

Public Citizen advocates before all three branches of the United States federal government.^[3] Its five divisions include Congress Watch; Energy; Global Trade Watch; the Health Research Group;^[4] 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.^[5]

Among other issues, Public Citizen has been a public voice on drug pricing. For example, they advocated for Gilead Sciences to test GS-441524, a cheaper alternative to remdesivir. ^[6]

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 decision.^[7] They have worked successfully to get state legislatures to call for Citizens United to be overturned.^[8] In 2025, they helped organize over 2,000 No Kings Protests across the United States.^[9]

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.^[10]

Nader's Raiders became involved in such issues as nuclear safety, international trade, regulation of insecticides, meat processing, pension reform, land use, and banking.^[11]

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.^[12] He served on its board of directors until 1980.^[13][14]

People associated with Public Citizen

• Ralph Nader, founder
• Joan Claybrook, first executive director
• Lisa Gilbert, current co-president^[15][16]
• Robert Weissman, current co-president ^[17]
• Donna Edwards, former U.S. Representative^[18]
• Alan Morrison, co-founder
• Paul Alan Levy litigator on labor and free speech issues
• Mark Green, former New York City Public Advocate^[19]
• Peter Maybarduk, director, Access to Medicines ^[20]
• Melinda St. Louis, director, Global Trade Watch^[21]
• Lori Wallach, founder, Global Trade Watch
• Sidney M. Wolfe, director, Health Research Group
• Phil Radford, former organizer, Global Trade Watch
• Wenonah Hauter, executive director, Food & Water Watch

See also

• Consumer Project on Technology
• Food & Water Watch
• Anti-nuclear movement in the United States