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Public Citizen's headquarters in Washington, D.C.
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| Founded | 1971 by Ralph Nader in the US |
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| Type | Think tank |
| Focus | Consumer advocacy |
| Location | |
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 (2019) | $17,885,184[1] |
| Website | www |
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 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]
For example, Public Citizen has been a public voice on matters related to drug policy and pricing, exemplified by advocacy surrounding Gilead Sciences and remdesivir, and the potentially cheaper alternative GS-441524.[6]
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.[7]
Nader's Raiders became involved in such issues as nuclear safety, international trade, regulation of insecticides, meat processing, pension reform, land use, and banking.[citation needed]
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.[8] He served on its board of directors until 1980.[9][10]
