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Welcome to the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law’s Newsroom. This page contains our press releases, news clips and blog posts.

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Can Shutting Down Online Hate Sites Curb Violence?

“We know that so much hate that we see today originates online,” Kristen Clarke said. “It originates in dangerous platforms and online hubs that provide a space to people to essentially coordinate violence and incite people to violence.”

HUD, Carson Sued For Suspending Obama-Era Desegregation Rule

“With this lawsuit, the civil rights community is standing up to Secretary Ben Carson and fighting back against an egregious attempt to roll back a hard fought victory,” the group’s President Kristen Clarke said in the statement. “The 2015 Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Rule is a critical part of ongoing work to address structural racism and inequality today. Through this lawsuit, we are taking action to hold HUD accountable and ensure that HUD fulfills its mission of addressing ongoing racial segregation and housing discrimination which persist across the country today.”

Groups to Sue Ben Carson Over Delay of Anti-Segregation Rule

“The rule that was put into place was adopted after careful thought and consideration, and expensive input from the public, and time after time we are seeing this administration violate the requirements of the Administrative Procedure Act,” said Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, whose firm is involved in the suit. “Secretary Ben Carson is abdicating his responsibility to fulfill HUD’s mission.” 

Lawsuits present challenge for neo-Nazi Daily Stormer site

Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee, explained that her organisation hopes to “send a strong message to white supremacists and the alt-right” with the lawsuit. “No person should be subject to this kind of racial harassment and treatment. Across the US, we are seeing a spike in vicious hate crimes targeting racial minorities, and young people are especially vulnerable.”

Richard Spencer’s Website Dropped by GoDaddy

[GoDaddy’s] move comes fewer than two weeks after the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law sent GoDaddy a letter arguing that AltRight.com violated GoDaddy’s terms of service, which prohibit illegal activity and the promotion of violence. The Lawyers’ Committee pointed to a recent AltRight.com article that claimed U.S. border guards should be allowed to engage in “lawlessness and savagery” against immigrants. The Lawyers’ Committee also pointed to AltRight.com’s comment section, which hosted comments calling for extreme violence against women and minorities.

GoDaddy Severs Relationship With Richard Spencer’s ‘Alt-Right’ Website

GoDaddy’s move to shut down Spencer’s site comes after the Lawyer’s Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, a nonprofit organization dedicated to combating discrimination, filed a complaint. The organization’s president, Kristen Clarke, announced the news on Twitter, posting the complaint made to GoDaddy CEO Scott Wagner.
“Altright.com is in clear violation of GoDaddy’s terms of service as it includes content actively inciting violence, particularly against racial and ethnic minorities,” the complaint stated.

School’s first black student president was the target of a racist attack. Now she’s suing over the ‘troll storm’ that followed

The legal action, filed in part by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, accuses Anglin of incitement of intentional infliction of emotional distress and/or conspiracy to do so, interfering with Dumpson’s right to equal opportunity to education, and bias-related incitement or conspiracy to commit stalking. “In his typical style, [Anglin] conveyed his hateful and racist message and incited others to harass Ms. Dumpson unlawfully,” the lawsuit claims.

Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law Files Suit Against Angola Prison

“America has the world’s largest prison population that is overwhelmingly black and brown and dramatically aging,” notes Kristen Clarke, President and Executive Director of the Lawyers’ Committee. “We are now starting to see the devastating impact of tough on crime sentencing policies that have confined inmates inside jails and prisons for decades. In this environment, we must insist that the 8th Amendment’s prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment is honored for each and every prisoner. Moreover, prisons must be made to comply with disability laws, rather than forcing people with disabilities to fend for themselves.”