by Williams Cedar, LLC | Jan 8, 2026 | Firm News, Civil Rights Law
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, January 8, 2026 — The controversial killing of Minneapolis resident Renee Good by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents has left civil rights advocates and lawyers questioning whether legal changes are needed to prevent such fatal incidents.
On January 7, Good was shot to death by an ICE agent on a street in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Department of Homeland Security claimed that Good tried to run down the agent, but witnesses said she tried to move her car out of traffic when the agent jumped in front of her car.
Gerald Williams from the Philadelphia law firm Williams Cedar LLC routinely represents clients in cases alleging excessive use of force by law enforcement officers. “For more than 150 years, there have been powerful federal laws with remedies for abuses like what apparently happened in Minneapolis,” Mr. Williams said. “But, over the decades, judges have interpreted the laws in ways that have seriously hampered the ability of victims to get justice.”
After the murder of George Floyd in 2021, Mr. Williams said, there were efforts in Congress to limit the bad effects of some of these doctrines, like “qualified immunity” and barriers preventing federal and state agencies from being held accountable for illegal conduct by their officers, but the proposed legislation failed, and was later abandoned.
“There are litigation strategies available to combat these judge-made doctrines, but they are true roadblocks in the path of justice,” Mr. Williams said. “The fact is, without real legal reform, we are likely to see more incidents of a very old pattern in law enforcement reflected in Ms. Good’s death: 1) use of excessive or deadly force; 2) manufacturing justifications and blaming the victim; 3) avoiding accountability.”
by Williams Cedar, LLC | Jul 24, 2025 | Firm News, Environmental Law
Williams Cedar Partner Says Proposed Policy Reversals Put Millions at Risk from Pollution
HADDONFIELD, N.J., July 23, 2025 — A prominent environmental attorney is sounding the alarm over a newly proposed EPA rollback that could sharply weaken America’s ability to fight climate change — and seriously endanger public health.
Gerald Williams, partner at the environmental law firm Williams Cedar LLC, says the Environmental Protection Agency’s plan to rescind a long-standing scientific finding — known as the “endangerment finding” — would undermine decades of progress in curbing greenhouse gas emissions and open the door to increased air, water, and land pollution.
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by Williams Cedar, LLC | Nov 1, 2022 | Firm News
As co-chair of the Civil Rights Committee of the Philadelphia Bar Association, Williams Cedar partner Christopher Markos presented, in conjunction with the Women’s Rights Committee, two historic resolutions to the Association’s Board of Governors on the subjects of firearm safety and reproductive rights. After months of collaboration between Chris and other leaders of the Bar Association, the Board of Governors adopted both resolutions on Friday, September 29. The Association has not addressed firearm safety for several years, and this is the first time it has taken a position specifically supporting reproductive rights. “Working with others to enhance individual rights and liberties comes naturally since that is also how I approach my practice,” Markos said.
To read the article, please go to the Philadelphia Bar Association website: https://philadelphiabar.org/?pg=News&blAction=showEntry&blogEntry=82362
by Williams Cedar, LLC | Sep 12, 2022 | Firm News
Christopher Markos has been associated with Williams Cedar since its inception in 2017 and before that, worked for five years with co-founding partner Jerry Williams.
Since his graduation from Rutgers Law School, he has established a successful legal career fighting for the personal and Constitutional rights of litigants in the state and federal courts of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, where he has achieved several significant settlements and favorable verdicts. He regularly speaks to lawyers, law students and members of the public on a variety of topics including civil rights litigation, oral advocacy and “know-your-rights” training.
Since 2020, he has served as the Chair or Co-Chair of the Civil Rights Committee of the Philadelphia Bar Association, and sits on the PBA’s advisory committee for the Philadelphia Citizen’s Police Oversight Commission. He has organized programming on police misconduct litigation and gun safety, and has helped develop policy positions of the Bar Association on racial justice, reproductive and transgender rights.
In 2021 and 2022, the lawyer rating service Super Lawyers named Mr. Markos a “Rising Star”, a designation bestowed only on 2.5% of Pennsylvania lawyers with his years of service.
Williams Cedar welcomes Christopher Markos to his new role with the firm.
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by Williams Cedar, LLC | Aug 11, 2022 | Firm News
After being passed in the U.S. Senate after a series of delays, the Honoring Our PACT Act of 2022 has become law. Gerald J. Williams, Partner, Williams Cedar LLP, says that this law will help even more veterans who have been exposed to toxins on the battlefield to get the medical help they need from the Veterans Administration (VA) hospital.
On July 17, 2022, the House of Representatives passed the Honoring Our PACT Act of 2022. While in the U.S. Senate, the bill was held up, citing “administrative issues,” but, on August 2, 2022, it finally passed. On August 10, 2022, President Joe Biden signed the bill into law.
The Honoring the PACT Act of 2002 will cover those who were exposed to noxious fumes from “burn pits” while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, and Agent Orange while stationed in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Guam, American Samoa and Johnston Atoll. It will also cover those who were exposed to contaminated water while stationed at or living near Camp Lejeune for 30 days cumulatively between August 1, 1953 and December 31, 1987.
Under the Act, more combat veterans who served after September 11, 2001 will be covered by the VA healthcare system. In addition, 23 medical conditions related to burn pit exposure will be included in the VA’s list of service presumptions, including hypertension.
“We are glad to see the Honoring Our PACT Act of 2022 being finally signed into law,” Mr. Williams said. “The Act will now allow returning service members who became sickened from toxins while deployed overseas to get the medical coverage they need. Millions of our veterans weren’t eligible for coverage because their illnesses weren’t considered to be ‘service-connected’ at the time. The Act changes that.”
Williams Cedar represents individuals and communities who have been exposed to toxic chemicals and whose water, soil, air or work environment has become polluted by harmful chemicals. They also represent clients in personal injury lawsuits such as toxic torts, in which a client claims they have been harmed by exposure to a hazardous substance. Occupational toxic torts are more common because the worker has suffered long-term exposure to harmful chemicals on the job site. In addition, the firm has successfully represented our veterans with their disability claims.
by Williams Cedar, LLC | Jul 26, 2022 | Firm News
HADDONFIELD, NEW JERSEY — Gerald J. Williams, Partner, Williams Cedar LLP, says that any member of the United States Marine Corps who became seriously ill while stationed at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina or anyone who lived or worked near the base may be able to seek legal action against the federal government, thanks to federal legislation that could soon become law.
On March 26, 2021, U.S. Representative Matt Cartwright of Pennsylvania introduced the Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2021. The bill would allow those who were exposed to contaminated water while stationed at or living near the base for 30 days cumulatively between August 1, 1953 and December 31, 1987 to sue the federal government for all the harm they suffered. It became part of the Honoring our PACT Act of 2022, which passed the House in March and passed the U.S. Senate on June 16. It is currently awaiting the president’s signature.
Established in 1941, Camp Lejeune has been used as a major training ground for the Marines, who use the lake as a staging ground for simulated amphibious assaults and other training exercises. It is estimated that the camp has up to 47,000 people living on base at any time, with up to 150,000 people living in the surrounding community. Because of these activities, the drinking water at the base was contaminated with toxic chemicals that caused a variety of severe health problems, many of which resulted in long-term disabilities or even fatal diseases.
Under the Camp Lejeune Justice Act, any veteran, reservist or National Guardsman who was stationed at the military base during that aforementioned time period can seek legal recourse. They must have been honorably discharged and suffered from one of the presumptive medical conditions: adult leukemia; aplastic anemia and other myelodysplastic syndromes; non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma; liver cancer; bladder cancer; kidney cancer; multiple myeloma; and Parkinson’s disease.
“We urge all members of the U.S. Marine Corps and those who lived on the base who have become ill with the following conditions — adult leukemia, aplastic anemia, other myelodysplastic syndromes, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, liver cancer, bladder cancer, kidney cancer, multiple myeloma, and Parkinson’s disease — to contact the firm immediately and file a claim,” Mr. Williams says.
Williams Cedar represents individuals and communities who have been exposed to toxic chemicals and whose water, soil, air or work environment has become polluted by harmful chemicals. They also represent clients in personal injury lawsuits such as toxic torts, in which a client claims they have been harmed by exposure to a hazardous substance. Occupational toxic torts are more common because the worker has suffered long-term exposure to harmful chemicals on the job site. In addition, the firm has successfully represented our veterans with their disability claims.
