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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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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.”

Black student at American University sues neo-Nazi site founder over ‘troll storm’

The case is at least the third federal lawsuit filed against Anglin by a target of his trolling campaigns. Anglin didn’t immediately respond to an email Tuesday seeking comment on Dumpson’s suit, which was filed by attorneys from the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.

Kristen Clarke, the group’s president and executive director, said the lawsuit is a response to a recent spike in “hate activity” on college campuses.
“This lawsuit sends a strong signal to those who perpetrate hate and promote white supremacy that there are victims who will not cower and who will instead stand up and take action to protect their rights,” she said in an email Tuesday.

American U. Student Sues Neo-Nazi Website Over Online Harassment

Kristen Clarke, president of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, who is also representing Dumpson, said students are particularly vulnerable to online harassment.

“We believe the hate activity seen here was intended to chill the courage of a bold student leader. We are seeing a spike in hate-crime activity across the country, and we are prepared to use every tool in our arsenal to protect the victims,” she said. “We hope our lawsuit will send a strong message to white supremacists and the alt-right that there are victims who are prepared to fight back and stand up and take action.”

Texas voter ID law can go into effect, appeals court panel rules

Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, also part of the plaintiffs’ legal team, said her organization was weighing its next step. “No law should be allowed to remain in force that is merely built on the back of a discriminatory law,” she said in a statement.

Federal Appeals Court Gives Thumbs-Up To Revised Texas Voter ID Law

While we’re disappointed that the majority of the panel is letting Texas continue to use its new ID law, the ruling did not disturb the court’s findings that the original photo ID law was discriminatory,” said Ezra Rosenberg, co-director of the voting rights project at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. “Texans deserve laws that make it easier, not harder, to vote.”