News, Insights, and Expertise (January 2025)
Damon Hewitt, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, joined fellow civil rights leaders in a virtual press conference on January 30 to condemn President Trump’s false claims blaming the recent D.C. plane crash on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. Hosted by the National Women’s Law Center, the event presented a united front against these dangerous distortions. Watch Damon Hewitt’s response to Trump’s DEI comments on YouTube.
Justice & Civil Rights In The News
Trump’s Actions on Executive Orders Harm Civil Rights
President Donald Trump’s initial executive orders and actions demonstrate a profound hostility to civil rights and many of the programs and policies that protect the rights of millions of Americans every day. | Read more
Our Response in the Press
- Trump Administration Escalates D.E.I. Crackdown in Latest Threat to Federal Worker | New York Times | January 22, 2025 | Read the full article
- Damon Hewitt Joins Laura Coates Live on CNN (Watch full video)
- Economic Justice Project Director Katy Youker Joins CNN to Discuss DEI (Watch here)
Hot off The Press
January 6 Lawsuit Seeks to Hold Trump Accountable
Amid Donald Trump’s return to office, many have wondered what kind of accountability the president may face as a result of the January 6 U.S. Capitol attack. Speaking on the Lawyers’ Committee’s Smith v. Trump lawsuit, Edward Caspar, co-lead litigator and acting co-chief counsel for the Lawyer’s Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, argues that the lawsuit is one of the last standing legal efforts to hold Trump accountable. | Read more: Salon
Justice Department Freezes Civil Rights Cases
The Trump administration has halted all new civil rights cases at the Department of Justice, leaving the country without a chief federal civil rights law enforcement unit. Damon Hewitt, Executive Director and President of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, called the move “unprecedented” and warned that it represents the Justice Department “abdicating its duty” to protect Americans from discrimination. | Read more: Washington Post
Federal DEI Staff Ordered on Leave
As the deadline passed for federal workers to report any efforts to “disguise” diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, all federal DEI staff have now been placed on leave. Dariely Rodriguez of the Lawyers’ Committee stated that these actions betray a fundamental misunderstanding of DEI initiatives, which aim to eliminate barriers—not offer preferential treatment. | Read more: The New York Times
Advocates Condemn Trump for Linking DEI to Plane Crash
President Trump faced backlash after suggesting that diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies contributed to a recent plane crash. Civil rights advocates swiftly condemned the remarks as divisive and misleading.
“He is the great divider of our times,” said Damon Hewitt, President of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. “Do not be fooled. He is engaging in fear tactics to stoke division.”
Critics argue that Trump’s comments distort the purpose of DEI initiatives, which aim to eliminate barriers and ensure equal opportunities, not compromise safety standards.
Read more:USA Today
Congratulations
Civil Rights Groups Congratulate Outgoing DOJ Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke for Her Accomplishments Leading the Civil Rights Division | January 18, 2025
The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, which Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke once led, among several other legacy civil rights organizations, congratulate Ms. Clarke on her successful tenure leading the Civil Rights Division at the U.S. Department of Justice. Read more
Official Statements & Press Releases
- Lawyers’ Committee Urges Senators to Oppose the Nomination of Pamela Bondi for Attorney General | January 28, 2025 | Read more
- Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law Condemns the Pardon of January 6 Insurrection Defendants | January 21, 2025| Read more
- Statement Observing Martin Luther King Jr. Day | January 21, 2025 | Read more
- Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law Applauds President Biden’s Historic Clemency Actions | January 19, 2025 | Read more
- Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law Commends President Biden’s Commutations for People Subjected to Unfair Federal Drug Sentences | January 17, 2025 | Read more
- Civil Rights Groups Ask Supreme Court to Keep Program that Provides Broadband Internet Access to Underserved People | January 16, 2025 | Read more
- Donald Trump and the Proud Boys Still Must be Held Accountable for January 6 | January 6, 2025 | Read more
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The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, formed in 1963 at the request of President John F. Kennedy to mobilize the nation’s leading lawyers as agents for change in the Civil Rights Movement. Today, the Lawyers’ Committee uses legal advocacy to achieve racial justice, fighting inside and outside the courts to ensure that Black people and other people of color have the voice, opportunity, and power to make the promises of our democracy real. The Lawyers’ Committee implements its mission and objectives by marshaling the pro bono resources of the bar for litigation, public policy, advocacy and other forms of service by lawyers to the cause of civil rights.