Could 2021 Be The Year Of Civil Justice Reform? By Cara Bayles | January 24, 2021, 8:02 PM EST The pandemic and economic downturn have drawn more attention to civil justice issues like eviction proceedings. Here, protesters advocate in August for extending New York City's eviction moratorium. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images) In early 2020, Ruy Arango and his fellow housing advocates in Boulder, Colorado, began campaigning for a referendum that could provide rent relief money and publicly funded attorneys to tenants facing eviction. Then, the coronavirus hit. The pandemic presented a safety challenge in gathering the 3,336 signatures needed to get the question on the ballot, but it also sparked a sense of urgency.