WASHINGTON—On Thursday, former President Donald Trump was unsuccessful in his attempt to halt a series of lawsuits that accuse him of instigating the U.S. Capitol insurrection. In 2021 the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law sued the former president, his campaign organization, the Proud Boys, the Oath Keepers, and others in Smith v. Trump, on behalf of a group of Capitol Police officers who faced a violent, mass attack on the Capitol driven by misinformation aimed at overturning the legitimate results of an election. The election was one, in which record numbers of Black voters made their voices heard.
The following is a statement from Damon Hewitt, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law:
“Today, the court decisively rejected a motion by former President Donald Trump to indefinitely delay our ongoing January 6th civil litigation against him, Smith v. Trump. This motion, if granted, would have blocked the discovery process, potentially denying timely justice for our clients. In other words the court found that justice delayed could be justice denied; and our clients deserve to move forward with their case against the former president without delay. The court’s ruling affirms our position that a timely discovery process is essential for transparency and accountability and should proceed without delay. This decision marks an important step forward in our pursuit of accountability for the atrocities of January 6th. The ruling supports our unwavering commitment to ensure that those affected by the events of that day are heard and that those responsible are brought to justice to the fullest extent of the law .”
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About the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law–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.
