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Protecting Civil Rights: Law, Democracy, and Public Policy (Lawyers’ Committee Newsletter July 2025)

This past July, the Lawyers’ Committee commemorated landmark civil rights anniversaries, honored Disability Pride Month, issued statements on pressing legal developments, and advanced our fight for justice in the courts and beyond. We joined national coalitions, spoke out on criminal justice and budget reconciliation, and represented our organization at the Global Black Economic Forum.

At every turn, our mission remains clear: to defend civil rights and build a just, equitable, multiracial democracy.

Honoring Milestones in Civil Rights

  • 61st Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act (1964) – Marking a cornerstone of equality under the law.
  • Thurgood Marshall’s Birthday – Celebrating his enduring contributions to law, advocacy, and justice.
  • Disability Pride Month & the 35th Anniversary of the ADA – Recommitting to accessibility, intersectionality, and disability rights.

Independence Day – Reflecting on the meaning of freedom and democracy in this moment.

Key Legal Updates & Official Statements

  • Statement on Senate Passage of Budget Reconciliation Bill | July 1, 2025| Read more
  • Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law Condemns the House Reconciliatory Passage of the Budget Reconciliation Bill | July 3, 2025| Read more
  • Statement on the DOJ’s Sentencing Recommendation in the Breonna Taylor Case| July 18, 2025| Read more

Litigation Spotlight: ERC v. Meta

In late July, the D.C. Superior Court denied Meta’s motion to dismiss our lawsuit, allowing us to move forward in challenging how its AI-driven ad system disproportionately targets Black users with for-profit college ads.

As Leah Frazier, director of our Digital Justice Initiative, stated:

“The D.C. Superior Court’s decision to let our case against Meta move forward is a critical step in the fight against algorithmic bias. ERC’s complaint argues that Meta’s AI-driven ad system disproportionately targets Black users with ads for for-profit colleges. As AI becomes more embedded in decisions that shape educational and economic opportunity, we must confront automated discrimination head-on.”

Learn more about the case here:  www.ercvsmeta.org

Shaping the Legal & Policy Landscape

Law and Democracy

  • The 14th Amendment was ratified 157 years ago to grant citizenship to Black Americans. MAGA is now reshaping it: “In some ways, the 14th Amendment is the original articulation that Black lives matter,” says Damon Hewitt, president and executive director of Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law, referring to the amendment’s repeal of the Three-Fifths Compromise, which counted enslaved African Americans as three-fifths of a person. Hewitt told TheGrio, “It is fundamental to this nation holding up to its stated ideals.” TheGrio (Nat) (July 11)
  • ‘State of Black America’ a Call to Action: Attorney Damon Hewitt said, “It’s time to turn up the volume and fight back. Whether it be repeal and replace or whether it be the appropriations process, now is the time for moral clarity. Now is the time for accountability. This is a place where industries like healthcare and education are going to take big hits,” said Hewitt. “We’re not quitting. We’re not rolling over. We’re not letting this happen without a fight. And we will prevail, because that’s what we do. We are resilient people, we’ve been through a lot, and we’ve demonstrated that we get through it together.” ‘St. Louis American (MO) (July 10)
  • Damon Hewitt: The Legal Expert: Following the Trump administration’s volley of executive orders ending federal funding commitments to nonprofits focused on racial equity, LGBTQ rights, and climate-change protections, nonprofits like the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law saw the action was going to be in the courts… Although the win is temporary, the decision underscores the Lawyers’ Committee’s central argument: “It is not illegal to invest in Black people,”says Damon Hewitt, the nonprofit’s president. Chronicle of Philanthropy (Nat) (July 8)

Healthcare & Voting Rights

  • New Indiana Laws Could Strip Health Coverage, Voting Access in Gary: “There’s an overarching myth of voter fraud as some issue that needs to be addressed,” said Ryan Snow, an attorney with the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. Capital B News (In/Nat) (July 28)
  • Georgia GOP’s Voting Barriers for Unhoused Voters: The Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, the premier voting rights organization, warned: “This would create new and unnecessary barriers to voting for Georgia’s unhoused and housing-insecure voters — a population estimated to include over 10,000 eligible Georgian voters. Among the segment of the homeless population that is residing in shelter facilities more than 50 percent of the time, 2022 data found 57 percent were Black and 31 percent were adult victims of domestic violence.”Raw Story (Nat) (July 19) 

AI & Digital Justice

  • America’s AI Watchdog is Losing its Bite: “There are cases about responsible use of AI, and those did not seem to enjoy too much popular support,” adds Leah Frazier, who now directs the Digital Justice Initiative at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. These cases don’t allege deception; rather, they charge that companies have deployed AI in a way that harms people. MIT Technology Review (MA) (July 24)

Immigrant & Criminal Justice

  • DOJ’s Recommendation for Lenient Sentence on Breonna Taylor Case Draws Ire: Len Kamdang, Director of the Criminal Justice Project at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, issued a strong statement criticizing the DOJ’s position. Kamdang said the recommendation “not only undermines the decision by a jury in this case and the heinous nature of [Hankison’s] actions, but it also sends a dangerous, minimizing message.”Davis Vanguard (CA) (July 19)

Education & DEI

  • Consent decrees force schools to desegregate. The Trump administration is striking them down: These orders “provide students with really important protections against discrimination,” said Shaheena Simons, the senior adviser of programs and strategist at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. “The administration is trying to paint these cases as ancient history and no longer relevant.”The Guardian (Nat) (July 24)
  • UPDATED: Arkansas can outlaw public school ‘indoctrination,’ ‘CRT,’ appeals court rules: A lawyer for the plaintiffs in the case said that while they are disappointed in the 8th Circuit’s decision to overturn the preliminary injunction, its impact will be minimal “because the State has committed to a narrow interpretation of the law throughout the litigation,”according to Maya Brodziak of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. “Teachers can still teach, and students can still learn about the history of systemic racism in our country and how to critically analyze current events in light of that history.”Arkansas Times (AR) (July 16)
  • Hope Shattered for Laid-Off Ed. Dept. Staff After Supreme Court Order:“The loss of employees in that office—which had nearly 600 staff and 12 regional offices before the Trump administration took office, and saw some of the deepest cuts in the March reductions—will be an institutional loss,” said Michael Pillera, director of the Educational Opportunities Project for the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, a nonprofit that advocates for racial justice. Education Week (Nat) (July 14)
  • D.C.’s Equitable Access Preference Helps At-Risk Students Compete for School Seats. Here’s how it works: “The Department [of Education] appears to be aiming to chill [diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility] activities, to scare schools into canceling activities and programs that benefit all students,” Michael Pillera, director of the Educational Opportunities Project at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, says in an email. Washington City Paper (July 1)

The fight for equity and justice continues, with ongoing legal battles and policy changes shaping the future. 

Photo Highlights

Photo Credit: Patrick Niddrie for AP Images / Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law

Our President & Executive Director Damon Hewitt joined a dynamic panel at the Global Black Economic Forum during Essence Fest. The powerful session, “The 250th Anniversary of the United States—What is the True Meaning of July 4th?” sparked a deep conversation about history, freedom, and the future of democracy. 

11th Annual Black Women’s Roundtable (BWR) Women of Power Gathering & Jazz Brunch

Photo credit: Patrick Niddrie for AP Images/Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law

Our Deputy Executive Director Shaylyn Cochran represented the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law at the 11th Annual Black Women’s Roundtable (BWR) Women of Power Gathering & Jazz Brunch on Friday, July 4, 2025, during the Essence Festival of Culture Weekend in New Orleans. 

July NOLA Brunch 2025

 Photo Credit: Patrick Niddrie for AP Images / Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law

On Sunday, July 6, the Lawyers’ Committee hosted the “NOLA Brunch Experience: Civil Rights Solidarity” in New Orleans. This inspiring gathering honored Kim M. Boyle—civil rights champion, legal trailblazer, and cherished Lawyers’ Committee board member. 

Career Opportunities

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Events (August)

In August, we recognize several powerful milestones and observances that reflect our mission and history:

  • The 60th Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act (August 6th, 1965)
  • 19th Amendment Ratification (August 18th, 1920)

Together, these commemorations and events shape a powerful month of reflection, pride, and recommitment to justice.

Donate & Support

Give today to support voting rights, educational opportunities, digital justice, and to combat hate. Introducing our new Civil Rights and Solidarity Fund, where you can partner with us to meet the moment and help us take strategic action against the dismantling of civil rights. 

Every gift is an act of solidarity — and a building block for justice.

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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.

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