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Fighting for our Freedoms (Lawyers’ Committee Newsletter March 2025)

From courtroom victories halting anti–Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) orders to defending voting rights at the Supreme Court, March was a defining month in the fight for civil rights. This newsletter highlights our bold responses to escalating threats against democracy, racial equity, education, and the rule of law. Read on to explore key legal updates, media appearances, and how you can donate and support the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.

During #WomensHistoryMonth (March), we honored the resilience, leadership, and contributions of women who have shaped our nation’s history and continue to pave the way for a more just and equitable future.

At the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, we uplift the voices of women—particularly women of color—who have been at the forefront of the fight for civil rights, justice, and democracy. From voting rights advocates to trailblazing legal minds, we celebrate their unwavering commitment to equality.

Let’s continue the fight for a future where every woman, regardless of race or background, has equal access to opportunity, justice, and representation.

Official Statements & Press Releases

  • Statement from Lawyers’ Committee Senior Counsel Sabrina Talukder on Temporary Restraining Order in Anti-DEI Executive Orders Case | March 28, 2025 | Read more
  • Trump Executive Order Would Disenfranchise Millions of Black Voters| March 27, 2025 | Read more
  • Lawyers’ Committee Denounces President Trump’s Unprecedented Assault on the Legal System and Rule of Law | March 22, 2025 | Read more
  • Nearly Two Dozen Leading Civil Rights Groups Condemn Trump Administration Memo Threatening Lawyers and Law Firms That Bring Suits Against the Federal Government | March 22, 2025 | Read more
  • Lawyers’ Committee Condemns the Trump Administration’s Executive Order Purporting to Abolish the Department of Education | March 21, 2025 | Read more
  • Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law Announces New Leadership Appointments to Strengthen Core Advocacy and Operations| March 20, 2025 | Read more
  • Lawyers’ Committee Statement on the Recent Firing of FTC Commissioners| March 20, 2025 | Read more
  • Lawyers’ Committee Condemns EEOC Acting Chair’s Political Attack on Law Firms as Anti-Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Crusade| March 18, 2025 | Read more
  • Two Defendants in Patriot Front Case Agree to Legal Settlement for Anti-Immigrant Incidents at Market in North Dakota| March 17, 2025 | Read more
  • Slashing Department of Education Staff is a Loss for America’s Students and Civil Rights| March 12, 2025 | Read more

CONGRATULATIONS

Big congratulations to Jennifer Nwachukwu, senior counsel for the Voting Rights Project, and Misty Jones, Election Protection infrastructure manager, at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law for being recognized in Essence Magazine as part of the Ojo Asé: Black Women Answering the Call campaign!

Here at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Jennifer and Misty are working tirelessly to protect voting rights—Jennifer through litigation and advocacy to ensure every vote counts, and Misty by managing the Election Protection hotline to support voters nationwide. Their dedication to safeguarding democracy is inspiring and essential.

We also want to recognize Kimiya Factory, senior national coordinator, Election Protection, Voting Rights Project, who created this powerful campaign to shine a light on the Black women leading the fight to protect democracy. Big thanks to our partners at the Global Black Economic Forum for standing with us!

Thank you for answering the call!

Read more in Essence Magazine: https://lnkd.in/eJ8iTBpy

Senior Counsel Sabrina Talukder and CWIT Discuss Administrative DEI Orders

On March 18, 2025, Sabrina Talukder, senior counsel with the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, appeared on Chicago Tonight to discuss CWIT and halting enforcement of key provisions of the anti-DEI executive orders against Chicago Women in Trades (CWIT).

Town Hall on Executive Dis-Order: How the Trump Administration is Weaponizing Executive Orders to Dismantle Civil Rights

On March 4, 2025, the Lawyers’ Committee hosted a critical town hall: “Executive Dis-Order: How the Trump Administration is Weaponizing Executive Orders to Dismantle Civil Rights.” Watch the full YouTube discussion here.

Key Stories Shaping The Legal and Policy Landscape (March Roundup)

With cuts to educational funding, mounting threats against law firms, and ongoing fights for legal and racial justice along with immigrant, DEI, women’s and voting rights, March has been another important month for civil rights litigation and advocacy. Here are some of the key stories from March that are shaping the legal and policy landscape:

Voting Rights and Democracy

  • President and Executive Director Damon Hewitt on Voting Rights

“What we do is necessary. But it’s insufficient,” Damon Hewitt, executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, “We need Congress to do its part — to give us the tools to advocate, to litigate and, frankly, to educate people on what our rights are, what our rights should be.”Listen here: Some Voting Rights Act cases dropped by Trump administration: NPR

  • Trump Executive Order would Disenfranchise Millions of Black Voters: Robert Weiner, the Voting Rights Project Director at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, gave a statement in response to the Trump administration’s executive order that seeks to disenfranchise eligible voters. Black Star News (Nat) (March 31)

Regarding the executive order, Weiner stated, “It will inject chaos into our elections process and block millions of eligible Americans from voting, for no good reason.” Weiner concludes, “We will vigorously fight such efforts to undermine the democratic principles that have made this country great. We will do everything we can to ensure that all Americans who are eligible to vote keep this basic American right.”

  • Under Trump, the Justice Department is stepping away from some Voting Rights Cases: The Supreme Court heard arguments over voting rights in March for states like Louisiana and Texas, with matters including congressional district boundaries and the 1965 Voting Rights Act. The DOJ now takes the stance that they’re ‘not in the business of enforcing these voting rights, statutes, and laws.’ NPR (Nat) (March 27)

“What we do is necessary. But it’s insufficient,” Damon Hewitt, executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, “We need Congress to do its part — to give us the tools to advocate, to litigate and, frankly, to educate people on what our rights are, what our rights should be.”

  • The U.S. as an Authoritarian State: Danger to the Global Rule of Law: Under Trump’s second term as president, global countries, experts, and commentators fear that the U.S. has crossed into ‘authoritarian territory.’ Slaw Canada (March 25)

In mid-March, 20 US law firms, including Perkins Coie, received letters from Trump’s newly-appointed Acting Chair of the EEOC, expressing concern that their employment practices, including DEI, might be discriminatory and seeking detailed personal information about people hired since 2015. The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law condemned the EEOC’s letters as part of a politically-motivated “anti-DEI crusade.”

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion News and Women’s Rights

  • Federal Judge Halts Parts of Trump’s Anti-DEI Executive Orders that Require Contractors and Grant Recipients to Certify Compliance: Judge Kennelly extended his order to all Labor Department contractors and grant recipients due to the ‘vagueness’ of Trump’s executive orders, along with how the threat of financial penalties would likely pressure organizations to curb DEI programs in potential violation of free speech rights. Fortune (Nat) (March 28)

Kennelly wrote that Chicago Women in Trades, which is being represented by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, was likely to succeed in its arguments that parts of the executive orders are a violation of free speech rights and are unconstitutionally vague.

  • This Week in Women’s Representation – From AOC to Alaska’s Next Governor, Women Candidates to Watch in 2024, 2028 and Beyond: With key women’s representation efforts at stake, March topics included women candidates for the presidency in 2028, women candidates for governor Maine and Alaska, the larger fight for voting rights across the nation, and finally, tariffs and the pink tax. Magazine (Nat) (March 28)

In a time when democracy and its core tenets, including voting rights, are under direct threat, it’s more important than ever to recognize the Black women on the frontlines, fighting every day to protect our fundamental freedoms. Last year, the Global Black Economic Forum and the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law launched Ojo Asé: Black Women Answering the Call, a national voting rights campaign dedicated to ensuring that Black women leading this charge at a grassroots, local level receive the recognition they deserve. Meet 15 Freedom Fighters nominated by their communities, whose remarkable contributions and tireless efforts are fighting for the future of our democracy.

  • A Federal Judge Temporarily Blocks Parts of Trump’s Anti-DEI Executive Orders: For the time being, federal judge Matthew Kennelly has halted the U.S. Labor Department from: (1) implementing parts of President Trump’s executive orders to curb DEI efforts for federal contractors and grant recipients, and (2): freezing or canceling any funding with Chicago Women in Trades (CWIT) and/or pursuing any False Claims Act enforcement against them. AP News (Nat) (March 28)MSN (March 27)Yahoo News (March 27)

“This is a critical step in ensuring that the organization can continue the important work it leads — helping women put food on the table through careers in the skilled trades and making job sites safer for thousands of women over the last four decades,”Sabrina Talukder, a senior counsel with the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, which is representing the organization, said in a statement.

  • EEOC posts vague issuance on “DEI-related-Discrimination”: The EEOC recently provided new guidance on “DEI-related discrimination,” but law firms are still concerned over employers backing away from DEI as they argue the civil rights laws are not changed. HR Brew (March 21) 

“The framing, and its lack of context and nuance, gives this document the impression that it’s not even-handed, and that it is trying to convey that DEI efforts are unlawful,”Katy Youker, director of the economic justice project for the nonprofit Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, told HR Brew, noting that it’s unclear whether the issuance is binding or enforceable.

Education

  • Trump Restricts Federal Research Funding, a Lifeblood for Colleges: Despite previously having decades of partnership with the U.S. government, colleges and universities now face a crisis as the Trump Administration seeks to cut off funding for schools, including navigating cuts to grants for research institutions. AP News (Nat) (March 28)PBS News (March 28)

“It looks like much of the playbook is intimidation, more so than actual substantiated legal findings,” said Michael Pillera, director of educational equity issues at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. “I think all of this is designed as an attempt to intimidate all universities, not just the institutions under investigation.”

Racial Justice

  • Trump Order on Segregation in US: What it Really Means: Trump’s signed January executive order to eliminate DEI programs resulted in the removal of a clause that barred segregation practices for federal contractors and helped enforce nondiscriminatory work practices. Syracuse Post-Standard (NY) (March 24)New York Times (March 21)

Dariely Rodriguez, the acting co-chief counsel for the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, said that stripping the segregation provision “weakens the very safeguards that promote equity and inclusion across multiple sectors, including workplaces,” according to the New York Times. “The Trump administration’s actions are pressure-testing our democracy, eroding more than 60 years of progress,” Rodriguez said.

  • When it comes to Inequality, Equity is not Equality of Outcome: Forbes breaks down the meaning and origins of the concept of equity, what it should and shouldn’t mean, and how it differs from equality of outcome. Forbes (March 23)

As Kathryn Youker, director of the Economic Justice Project of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, told me at the time, many stories about the business implications failed to mention “that race-conscious actions in business are already severely limited.” Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which pertained to business, is much stricter than Title VI, which governs education. “Employers have an affirmative duty to avoid practices that have a negative impact on any covered group,” she said.

DOJ News

  • Trump tells DOJ to fight ‘Frivolous’ Lawyers in Memo Slammed as ‘Despicable’: Lawyers grow concerned for Trump’s intimidation tactics and desire to attack the rule of law as he directs the DOJ to investigate “frivolous” lawsuits against the Administration. USA Today (March 24)MSN (March 27)

On the matter, Damon Hewitt, president of the nonprofit Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, gave a recent statement that weaponizing the legal system to intimidate and silence lawyers is “a dangerous manipulation of the rule of law and a subversion of democracy.”

  • Justice Department Wants to Sub in for Trump in January 6 Riot Cases: Regarding suits brought forth by federal lawmakers and Capitol police officers over January 6, 2021, the Department of Justice asked a DC federal court to allow it to stand in place for President Trump. Law 360 (March 21)

“This is a complete abdication of responsibility,” Damon Hewitt, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, told CNN. “The DOJ was created to help protect Americans’ civil rights and to enforce civil rights laws. … And we all know that justice delayed can be justice denied,” he said, adding that “the pace and volume” of cases filed over the last four years “tells us there are problems all over the country that need addressing.”

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

Career Opportunities

Come join our team!

  • Counsel/Senior Counsel | Apply Now
  • Digital Communications Coordinator | Apply Now
  • National Director, Protecting and Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Initiative | Apply Now
  • Senior Education Policy Counsel/Education Policy Advisor | Apply Now
  • Senior Media Coordinator |Apply Now
  • Staff Writer | Apply Now

Photo Highlights from the Selma Bridge Jubilee Crossing (March 6-9, 2025)

“Freedom is never really won. You earn it and win it in every generation.”– Coretta Scott King

On the weekend of March 6-9, we marched across the Edmund Pettus Bridge to honor the courage of the 600+ activists who fought for the fundamental right to vote. The Selma Bridge Crossing Jubilee was more than a march—it was a call to action. We honor the legacy of those who paved the way and stand firm in the ongoing fight for voting rights. Our voices matter. Our votes matter. And we will not be silenced.

See the LinkedIn Post. | Photo credit: Elijah Craig II

Events (April)

  • Fair Housing Month (April)
  • The 2025 National Action Network Convention: “Being a Light in Dark Times…Measuring the Movement” panel featuring Damon Hewitt. | The Sheraton Times Square in NYC |April 5th, 2025 – 11 AM (EST)
  • Center for Urban and Racial Equity (CURE)’s “Navigating the Backlash-Advancing Racial Equity in a Shifting Landscape” virtual webinar featuring Dariely Rodriguez| April 9th, 2025- 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM (EST)

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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.